206 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



eventful career extending over six years the Company found its 

 affairs to be in such a hopeless condition that in 1912 it asked 

 Government to terminate the lease. This has now been done, and 

 the fishing rights on the pearl Ijanks have reverted to the Ceylon 

 Government. 



In view of the somewhat sensational historj^ of the Syndicate , and 

 of the inevitable publicity which has been given to Ceylon pearl 

 fisheries in recent j^ears, it is not surprising to find that the economic 

 Marine Biologist has loomed rather large in the reports of the 

 Compan}' . The result has been that both the expectations and the 

 possibilities of the scientific work have been grossly misunderstood. 

 Thus , the commonly accepted notion appears to be that marine 

 biology as applied to the pearl banks must stand or fall upon the 

 result of the last ten years' work, and many are satisfied that 

 the failure of the Pearl Fisher}' Companj^ to make the enterprise a 

 financial success is directly consequent upon the failure of economic 

 science to offer a solution of the main problem. 



One does not feel inclined to accept the conclusions of those who 

 are sceptical of the ultimate success of the work of aj)plied science, 

 and who talk vaguely about "leaving Mother Nature to her own 

 devices." The principle involved is of universal application, and 

 the answer does not rest upon a few years' work on one particular 

 problem, but is closely concerned with all the activities of the human 

 race in so far as they affect the products of Nature. Man's enterprise 

 has long since shown the fallacy of leaving Nature to her own devices, 

 whether it be in agriculture or pisciculture. 



Certain it is that the main point of the problem which science set 

 out to solve on the Ceylon pearl banks has baffled all inquir}^ and 

 it may appear at first sight that the history of the last ten years 

 spells failure of scientific methods. The writer has been prompted 

 to write this paper because of certain misunderstandings which 

 undoubtedly exist, and in order to present a summary of the biological 

 position, with a view of determining how far the scientific investiga- 

 tions have progressed towards the attainment of thek chief object. 



Further than that one cannot go, for it would be idle at the 

 present juncture to profess that any ripe judgment can yet be given 

 on the merits of economic marine biology as applied to the problems 

 of the Ceylon pearl oj^ster. 



Brief Resume of the Scientific Work. 

 After a period of eleven years, during which there had been no 

 fishery, Professor Herdman was invited to institute an inquiry and 

 to present a report. In consequence he spent the early part of the 

 year 1902 in Ceylon, and in company Avith his assistant, Mr. Hornell, 

 made a thorough examination of the conditions of the pearl banks. 

 On Professor Herdman's return to England, Mr. Hornell was left in 

 charge of the investigations. The researches were thus continued 



