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snakes eating the oysters, darting into the shells when opened. 

 But this report must be viewed with grave suspicion. Apart 

 from snakes, the reputed enemies of the pearl-oyster on .the 

 Ceylon banks are molluscs, fishes, and currents. Among 

 molluscs are mentioned the Chank {Turbinella rapa) and a 

 big Murex {M. angiiliferus), known as the Elephant chank. 

 But, as Mr. Holdsworth observes, *' they may be looked on 

 as part of the vermin of the banks, but I have no reason to 

 think they cause more destruction on the oyster beds than 

 the hawk and the polecat do among the game of an ordinary 

 preserve." It is noticeable that the little Modiola known 

 as suran, which assumes such a prominent position in the 

 reports of the Inspector of Pearl Banks at Tuticorin, does 

 not, though present, occur, so far as I am aware, in any 

 great quantities on the Ceylon banks. Among fishes the 

 trigger fishes (Balis fes), commonly known as " Old Wives ", 

 are abundant on rocky parts of the banks, and I saw many 

 specimens caught by the boatmen fishing from the side of 

 the ship as we lay at anchor. Concerning these fishes 

 Captain Steuart reports that " the sea over the pearl banks 

 is well stocked with various fishes, some of which feed on 

 the oysters, and, when caught by the seamen on board the 

 guard vessel, pearls and crushed shells are often found in 

 their stomachs, particularly in the fish called by the Mala- 

 bars, the Clartee ; by the Singhalese, the Pottooberre ; and by 

 seamen, the Old Women. This fish is of an oval-shape, 

 about 12 inches in length and 6 inches in depth from the 

 top of the back to the under part of the belly, and is 

 covered with a thick skin. We saw ten pearls taken from 

 the stomach of one of these fish on board the Wellington.'* 

 The contents of the stomach and intestines of BalisteSy 

 which I examined while we were inspecting the Cheval Par, 

 consisted entirely of young oysters crushed by their sharp 

 cutting teeth. In addition to the trigger fishes, Rays are 

 said to be always more or less numerous on the banks, and 

 Mr. Holdsworth states that " when the fishery of 1863 

 commenced on the south-east part of the Cheval Par, the 

 divers reported the ground so covered with skates as to 

 interfere with their picking up the oysters. After a day 

 or two the continual disturbance by the divers had the effect 

 of driving the skates away from that part of the bank, and 

 these fish, many of them of very large size, were seen going 

 in the direction of the Modrigam, which was then covered 

 with oysters, whose age was estimated by the Superin- 

 tendent at 2^ — 3 years, by the Inspector at 3i — 4, and 



