107 



by the native headman at 4 years. The skates were in 

 shoals, and their total number was estimated at from 10 

 to 15 thousand. Further, in his report on the inspection 

 of banks in March 1885, Captain Donnan notes the fact that 

 " on the way from the north Motaragam, and just about 

 the south side of the bed of oysters, we passed through a 

 large patch of thick ' discoloiu-ed water, caused by a shoal 

 of Rays plundering about on the bottom, and stirring up 

 the sand. Some of them could, at times, be seen near the 

 sui'face, and I have no doubt they were feeding on the 

 oysters." Some years ago the Sea Customs Officer at Dutch 

 Bay counted as many as 300 Rays in a single haul of a 

 fishing net. The native belief is that the Rays break up 

 the oyster shell with their teeth, and suck out the soft 

 animal matter. The stomach of a big Ray {^tohatis 

 narinari), 5 feet in breadth and with a tail 8^ feet in length, 

 which was caught by fishermen from a canoe off Sildvaturai 

 when we were at anchor there, consisted of sea weed. The 

 same fishermen caught for me off the Sildvaturai reef a 

 male Dugong, 9 feet in length, whose stomach contents 

 consisted of sea weed and large numbers of a Nematoid 

 worm. 



It was roughly estimated as the result of the inspection 

 of the Muttuwartu Par, which lasted over three days, an 

 average of 589 yards and 16 oysters to a dive being 

 allowed, that it contained 30 million oysters spread over an 

 area of 9| million square yards, which should produce a 

 revenue of 5 lakhs of rupees. 



On November 2nd we left the Muttuwartu Par, and 

 anchored in 8 fathoms, about 2 miles further north, so as 

 to hunt for a possible bed of oysters. The divers, making 

 the usual preliminary dives, brought up blocks of dead coral- 

 rock with living Turbinarice and Porites growing on them, 

 and containing, imbedded in the crevices, a large munber 

 of Foraminifera. The sample of 15,000 oysters from the 

 Muttuwartu Par, which were beginning to be unpleasant 

 fellow-passengers, was sent up to Sildvaturai to be washed. 

 It is stated by Captain Steuart that the offensive effluvium of 

 decomposing oysters " is not considered to have an unhealthy 

 tendency on the persons engaged in the kottus, and it is 

 astonishing how soon the most sensitive nose becomes accus- 

 tomed to the smell. Indeed some Europeans have fancied 

 their appetites sharpened by visiting the kottus, and being 



