56 



3*2. Periyathalai, Sinnathalai, Utankudi and Ovari. — These 

 are busy fishing villages situated in shallow indentations in the 

 coast line south-west of Manapad. As the coast here runs 

 south-west and north-east, there is good shelter during the 

 north-east monsoon, but during June, July and August the 

 heavy sea and swell which roll in from the south precludes 

 the possibility of deep-sea boats lying off these villages. At 

 such time they would have to seek shelter at Kulasekarapat- 

 tanam or Virapandiyanpattanam. 



33. Kumari is a pretty and well-built town under the lee 

 of Cape Comorin. Many catamarans and canoes use it as their 

 port, and in the north-east monsoon the shelter it affords is 

 excellent. 



During the months when the south-west monsoon is strong; 

 it has the same disadvantages as Ovari and Periyathalai and 

 during that season deep-sea fishing boats would either have 

 to be hauled up or sent to a more favoured port. Probably 

 the most profitable arrangement during the south-west monsoon 

 for Jarge boats hailing from the open ports from Manapad 

 southwards would be for them to shift their working base to 

 a northern port, Negapatam or Madras for preference. 



IV. — The Canoe or Malabar Coast. 



34. Taking Malabar in its wider sense to include both the 

 districts of Malabar and South Canara, we find complete 

 uniformity in the type of locally owned fishing boats employed 

 along the whole coast from Cochin to Mangalore. Except at 

 Mangalore and to the northward where large fishing boats from 

 Ratnagiri are to be seen, the dug-out is the only fishing craft 

 in use, even catamarans are absent. Two models only are used, 

 the one flat-bottomed, the other somewhat rounded below. The 

 chief differences lie in the size and the purpose for which em- 

 ployed. The larger, which run to 32 feet in length by 3 feet 

 wide and 1\ feet deep, and of 3 to 5 tons burden, are usually 

 used in pairs, chiefly in working the net variously called odam, 

 peru or nallu-vala in Malabar and maribalai in South Canara ; 

 the smaller, averaging about two tons burden, are employed 

 principally by the long liners (beppu) or the casting-net 

 fishermen. The larger boats usually carry seven of a crew, the 

 smaller three when lining, four when used in cast-net fishing. 



Such uniformity in type of boat along the whole of this 

 coast bespeaks uniformity in physical conditions and in fishing 

 methods, an inference which on examination proves to be 



