112 



towards the reef ; when far enough from shore they separate 

 and return towards the beach, the ola line forming a long semi- 

 circle between them. A crowd of men follow close behind the 

 ola vala to lift it over projecting rocks and to contribute their 

 quota of noise to drive the fish shore wards. The two ends of 

 the ola vala are then taken ashore and drawn well up. When 

 by this means the space enclosed by the ola vala is considerably 

 reduced, two men carry the kandalai vala beyond and outside 

 the ola vala ; when half way round they diverge and return to 

 shore laying an enveloping semi-circle of net outside of the ola. 

 The latter is then dragged out and the net pulled to shore as an 

 ordinary seine. 



109. The adi vala is another form of small seine used 

 sometimes alone, and sometimes along with the ola vala as above 

 described. It is usually worked in from 4 to i\ feet of water. 

 It is thinner and of smaller mesh than the kandalai vala. One 

 net measured was IS fathoms long by 5 feet deep at each end, 

 increasing to feet in the middle. Wooden floats (of paratti 

 wood grown in the island) are put on longitudinally at short 

 intervals and small coral stones are attached along the bottom. 

 Float and ground ropes are of coir. The dead white colour of 

 the net exactly agrees with the hue of the coral sand. The 

 use of this net is almost entirely confined to the home lagoon. 



110. Fish spearing is also practised here but the people 

 disclaimed any particular skill in fishing and strongly advised 

 us to visit Chetlat, an island lying to the north of Kiltan, where 

 fishing we were told was vigorously prosecuted. We left Kiltan 

 with considerable regret for the brevity of our visit, a regret 

 which grew the greater when subsequent comparison with other 

 islanders showed up the extreme courtesy and kindness of our 

 first friends. 



111. Early on 27th November we hove anchor and pro- 

 ceeded for Chetlat after settling our score for pilotage and 

 other services by the division of half a bag of rice among our 

 creditors who preferred this mode of payment owing to a 

 scarcity of this commodity due to delay in arrival from the 



1 ml ml 



mainland of some expected supplies. 



112. Chetlat, — On arriving off Chetlat we had some 

 difficulty in finding a suitable anchorage as the men from a 

 fishing boat who boarded us at the south end were undecided 

 and contradictory in the advice they tendered. Eventually 

 we anchored near the mouth of the northern of the two 

 passages through the reef and went ashore soon after 2 p.m. 

 in native boats, taking a water glass wherewith to view the 

 bottom. With the aid of this simple instrument I found the 



