115 



this and the two preceding days a bright blue-eyed Palcemonid 

 larva was very abundant on the surface. 



The next four days, during which the weather was very 

 unpleasant and suggestive of a cyclonic storm in the Bay of 

 Bengal, were spent in inspecting the east Cheval Par. The 

 divers, going down as soon as we had anchored at the north 

 end of the bank, brought up blocks of incrusted sand-rock, 

 and specimens of the black-coloured sponge Spongionella 

 nigra, but no oysters, which were, in fact, absent over the 

 entire bank. This bank is mainly characterised by the 

 abundant growth on it of Suberogorgin snberosa, on the 

 branches of one of which an A^trophyton {A. chtvntum ?) 

 was entwined, and a heather- like Hydroid, the tangled 

 branches of which were studded with the striped Avicula 

 zebra, and which should afford good anchorage for young 

 oysters. Conspicuous among other specimens, which were 

 obtained, were the sponge Hircinia clathrata affording a 

 home to Ba/anim (Acnstn) spongite-t, the corals Tnrhinaria 

 crater and Turbinaria pafula, and the Kchinoderms Antedon 

 palmata, Sahnacis bicolor, Clypeaster hitmilis, and Echinaster 

 purpureus. A single specimen of Ophiothrix aspidota was 

 found coiled up in a cavity in a block of Poiitea. As on the 

 other banks which we inspected, sea- weeds were not present 

 in any quantity. The quantity of weed on the banks is said, 

 however, to vary much from year to year. 



The inspection of the east Cheval Par completed, we 

 went a short distance south, and spent a couple of days 

 on the Motaragam Pars, which were also blank so far as 

 oysters were concerned. The pearls from these Pars are 

 highly valued by the pearl -merchants, and, at the fishery 

 of 1888, the oysters fetched from 100 to 109 rupees per 

 thousand at auction, a single day's fishing realizing over 

 60,00() rupees. The weather had cleared up by this time, 

 and the divers were again able to work in comfort for a 

 short time. Rain interferes very much with an inspection, 

 as the divers complain that it makes them cold and shivery 

 when they come out of the water. Here, as on the east 

 Cheval Par, the animal collected in greatest abundance was 

 Clypcaster humilis ; but the divers also brought up many 

 specimens of the chank, the unpleasant looking animal of 

 which is eaten by the natives ; Pinna bicolor, which is said 

 to occur on the sandy parts of the banks in beds of some 

 extent ; and the hammer-headed oyster. The Hydroid, which 

 was so conspicuous a feature of the east Cheval, was absent 

 from the Motaragam Par. 



