39 



with the pearl banks was subsequently still more expressly- 

 defined by law. 



As mentioned above Ceylon chanks fall into two 

 categories, live or "green" chanks and dead or sub- 

 fossil ones. The former are fished by divers in the sea 

 around the northern part of Ceylon, from Dutch Bay on 

 the west, northwards past Mannar and the Jaffna islands 

 round to Mullaittivuonthe north-east coast. The depths 

 of water and the method of fishing are very much the 

 same as prevail in the Tuticorin fishery modified in 

 many places by the fact that the beds there lie in shallow 

 water so enabling the divers to dispense with the diving 

 stone and rope. To fish such shallow beds, parties of 

 divers go out in their canoes or ballams to the selected 

 ground. There they leave the canoes and swim about 

 diving from time to time whenever they think they can 

 get a chank. The shells taken they place in a bag 

 suspended from their loins ; this goes on until the bag 

 is full or they feel tired, when they return to the canoe, 

 empty their catch into a basket and rest awhile. Much 

 of the diving is done in three to five fathoms. The men 

 are principally Labbais (Muhammadans) from Kilakarai, 

 reinforced in recent years by a number of Arab divers 

 who, after attending certain of the Pearl Fisheries, settled 

 on the coast near Jaffna, married Tamil women and took 

 to fishing chanks and beche-de-mer while waiting for 

 the next pearl fishery. 



The best and largest shells are reputed to be fished 

 on rocky bottom off the island of Nayinativu, very good 

 quality being also characteristic of those fished off Pun- 

 kudutivu and Mannar Island and on the north-east coast 

 towards Mullaitivu and Trincomali where the bottom is 

 mingled sand and rock ; the poorest quality comes from 

 shallow water with grassy bottom, as for example off 

 Kalmunai and Nachchikarai. 



The scale of rates paid to divers for shells from these 

 different localities as supplied to me by an Arab diver 

 who has worked over the whole coast, is as follows : — 



RS. 



Nayinativu ... ... ... ... 7 per 100 



Punkudutivu ... ... ..."j 



Trincomali and ... ... ... }■ 5 per 100 



Mullaittivu ... ... ...j 



North side Mannar island ... ... 3 per 100 



Kalmunai and Nachchikarai... 2-8-0 per 100 



