74 PEARLS [CH. 



ones procured, and at the same time supervision 

 given to a steamer which may serve as an oyster- 

 dredger. The place selected as the centre of the 

 pearl fishery in 1905 was, as stated above, Marich- 

 chikkaddi, near the mouth of the Modragam River. 

 It is necessary to make an inspection of the beds of 

 oysters which it is proposed to fish immediately 

 before a fishery opens, so that the inspector, or 

 commander-in-chief of the fisheries, as we may term 

 him, may be in a position to mark off^ the ground 

 and regulate the number of boats and days allotted 

 to particular areas. The essential features of the 

 preparations are as follows : Three flag-buoys are 

 laid out by attendant launches in the direction of 

 each cardinal point of the compass, at distances 

 apart of ^-mile, the inmost buoys taking their dis- 

 tance from the inspection vessel, which is anchored 

 to serve as a pivot mark in the centre of the circular 

 area to be inspected. Then four boats (usuall}^ 

 modified whale-boats), each manned by a crew of six, 

 together with three divers and two munducks, under 

 the charge of an experienced coxswain, take up equi- 

 distant positions between the ship and the first flag- 

 buoy and row slowly round the ship, retaining with 

 wonderful accuracy their relative positions. 



At regular intervals the crew rest on their oars 

 to allow the divers to make descents and bring up 

 oysters if any are present. The result of each dive 



