488 THE PEARL FISHERIES OF CEYLON. 



we satisfied ourselves that there is no basis of fact for this belief; 

 and it became clear to ns that the successive broods of young oysters 

 on the Periya Paar, amounting probably within the last quarter 

 century alone to many millions of millions of oysters, which if they 

 liad been saved would have constituted enormous fisheries, have all 

 been overwhelmed by natural causes, due maiidy to the configuration 

 of the ground and its exposure to the southwest monsoon. 



The following table shows, in brief, the history of the Periya 

 Paar for the last twenty-four years: 



Feb., 1880. Abundance of young oj^sters. 



Mar., 1882. No oysters on the bank. 



Mar., 1883. Abundance of young oysters, 6 to 9 months old. 



Mar., 1884. Oysters still on bank, mixed with others of 3 months old. 



Mar., 1885. Older oysters gone, and very few of the younger remaining. 



Mar., 188G. No oysters on bank. 



Nov., 1887. Abundance of young oysters, 2 to 3 months. 



Nov., 1888. Oysters of last year gone and new lot come, 3 to months. 



Nov., 1889. Oysters of last year gone ; a few patches 3 mouths old present. 



Mar., 1892. No oysters on the bank. 



Mar., 1893. Abundance of oysters of months old. 



Mar., 1894. No oysters on the bank. 



Mar., 189.5. Ditto. 



Mar., 189G. Abundance of young oysters, 3 to (\ months. 



Mar., 1897. No oysters ])resent. 



Mar., 1898. Ditto. 



Mar., 1899. Abundance of oysters, 3 to months old. 



Mar., 1900. Abundance of oysters 3 to (i months old^ none of last year's 

 remaining. 



Mar., 1901. Oysters jtresent of 12 to 18 months of age, but not so numerous as 

 in preceding year. 



Mar., 1902. Young oysters abundant, 2 to 3 months. Only a few small 

 patches of older oysters (2 to 2i years) remaining. 



Nov., 1902. All the oysters gone. 



It is shown by the above that since 1880 the bank has been natur- 

 ally restocked with youug oysters at least eleven times witliout yield- 

 ing a fishery. 



The 10- fathom line skirts the western edge of the ])aar, and the 100- 

 fathom line is not far outside it. An examination of the great slope 

 outside is sufficient to show that the southwest monsoon running up 

 toward the Bay of Bengal for six months in the year, must batter 

 with full force on the exposed seaward edge of the bank and cause 

 great disturbance of the bottom. We made a careful survey of the 

 Periya Paar in March, 190'2. and found it covered with young 03'sters 

 a few months old. In my preliminary report to the Government, 

 written in July, I estimated these young oysters at not less than 

 100,000 millions, and stated my belief that these Avere doomed to 

 destruction and ought to be removed at the earliest opportunity to a 



