488 THE PEARL FISHERIES OF CEYLON. 



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

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

 on the Periya l*aar, amounting probably within the last quarter 

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

 had been saved wouhl haA'e constituted enormous fisheries, have all 

 been overwhelmed by natural causes, due mainly 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. Ahuiulance of young oysters. 



Mar., 1882. No oysters on tbe hank. 



Mar., 188.3. Abundance of yoinig oysters. 6 to 9 months old. 



Mar., 188-t. Oysters still on bank, mixed with others of 3 months old. 



Mar., 1885. Older oysters gone, and vei\v 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 G months. 



Nov., 1889. Oysters of last year gone : a few patches 3 months old present. 



Mar., 1892. No oysters on tbe bank. 



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



Mar., 1894. No oysters on the bank. 



Mar., 1895. Ditto. 



Mar., 1896. Abundance of young oysters. 3 to G months. 



Mar., 1897. No oysters present. 



Mar., 1898. Ditto. 



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



Mar., 1900. Abundance of oysters 3 to G months old ; none of last year's 

 remaining. 



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

 in preceding year. 



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

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



Nov., 1902. All the oysters gone. 



It is shown l)y the above that since 18S0 the bank has been natur- 

 ally restocked with young oysters at least eleven times without yield- 

 ing a fishery. 



The 10- fathom line skirts the western edge of the paar, 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 riuniing up 

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

 with full force on the exposed seaw^ird edge of the bank and cause 

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

 Periya Paar in March, U)0'2. and found it covered with young oysters 

 a few months old. In my })reliminary 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 were doomed to 

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



