23 
his sink stone, the diver quits the stone, which is at once 
pulled up by the thodai, and swims slowly over the 
bottom hunting for the brown lump that denotes a shell 
or for the rut or track the animal makcs when slowly 
crawling about. The local men are good trackers— they 
follow up the faintest of spoors and many shells are 
obtained in this way. It is this special skill which enables 
the local men to hold their own against divers of stronger 
physique. Thus the Arab pearl-fishers, better divers 
than the Tamils, take several weeks before they acquire 
this faculty of tracking home the chank and till they do, 
their catches are poor. 
The divers take very little food with them, but have a 
hot meal before they set out. They seldom take more 
than one-eighth measure of rice afloat with them and 
wnen the catches are good they frequently throw this 
overboard. If aman gets too chanks he is assured of 
Rs. 3 for the day’s earnings and he argues that if he takes 
a meal of rice he won't have room for all the toddy he can 
afford to buy--so the rice goes overboard and_ the 
fortunate diver has acquired a first-class gold mohur thirst 
when he reaches shore. 
Between three and four o'clock the little fleet of eight 
or nine canoes head into the bay before the spanking 
sea breeze that usually comes on in the afternoon. The 
Chank Department staff are ready at the godowns which 
are s tuated about three-fourths of a mile north of the town 
in order that the distinctive odour of decaying chanks may 
not disturb the appetites of the over-dainty. A clerk is 
there with a big bag of rupees, the rule being to give 
cash on the spot for all shells brought in; a second clerk 
or gumastah supervises and assists in the gauging and a 
peon or counter and one or more lascars examine, gauge, 
and count the piles of shells as laid out by the divers. 
Usually each diver works for his own hand and so there 
are as many heaps as there are divers. The gauging isa 
ticklish operation and requires great patience and tact on 
the part of the gumastah and counter as the divers wax 
argumentative over every shell that is rejected as under- 
sized (under 23 inches in diameter) and a wrangle goes on 
over many of the ‘‘ worm-eaten” shells which are confiscat- 
ed as useless. The total catch of each canoe is paid for 
