156 



the exhibit, the judges awarded the Marine section a certificate of 

 merit. 



41. Two lectures upon the development of Madras fisheries were 

 delivered by the writer in the Exhibition Hall, and at the Science 

 Congress at Lahore, held in January 1916, a paper was read upon 

 the races and varieties of the Indian chank. The last-named is now 

 in the press and will be issued as one of the Memoirs of the Indian 

 Museum. 



42. Biological and museum specimens. — Many of the specimens 

 exhibited at the Madras Exhibition were sold to various colleges, and 

 others have been sold subsequently. The most popular seem to be 

 the type collections of Madras Crustaceans of which five sets have been 

 sold at average prices of Rs. 45 each. One of my sub-assistants has 

 been trained to prepare these in first class museum style and as they 

 are coloured after nature, they are admirably adapted to the use of 

 those schools where intelligent endeavour is made to give pupils 

 some slight acquaintance with the fauna of our seas. Similar collec- 

 tions of shellfish have been prepared and it is hoped to add others 

 of sponges and echinoderms before long. The cramped accommoda- 

 tion available at Tuticorin is however a great handicap to progress. 



43. Specimens for dissection have also been provided to several 

 teaching institutions and in this direction I foresee great develop- 

 ments. All the Zoological teachers whom I met at the Lahore 

 Science Congress welcomed the prospect of an Indian source of 

 biological supply, and when once sufficient stock can be accumulated — 

 which I fear cannot be till the Krusadai Island Biological station be 

 in being — a regular demand will assuredly be created. For the past 

 year sale? of museum and dissecting specimens amounted to the sum 

 of Rs. 360. 



44. Technical instruction was continued during the past year to 

 three fishery students from Baroda and Travancore, and I continue to 

 afford them assistance by correspondence. In addition, a general 

 insight into local fishery problems as they now stand, was given to 

 Mr. V. R. Duraiswami Sastri, m.a., l.t., at the request of the Director 

 of Public Instruction, in order that this gentleman may impart an 

 elementary knowledge of the subject to the teachers who study under 

 him. 



45. Research. — As already noted practical work and executive 

 routine have bulked so largely in my duties during the past year, that 

 research has perforce been given far too little time and attention. 

 Several important investigations have however been kept going and 

 two of these were completed, namely, an enquiry into the species 

 and occurrence of shells capable of use in lime burning, and an 

 investigation of varieties and races of Indian chanks. The latter 

 research has revealed many interesting facts in the distribution of the 

 chank, and shows that the two main varieties arose between the period 

 of the upheavel which at one time united India and Ceylon by means 

 of a solid land barrier and that of the subsequent depression which 

 caused gaps to appear in this barrier at the points we now name 

 Pamban Pass and Adam's bridge. 



