June 20, 1889] 



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to proceed to Dutch Bay, but they will not leave until 

 after some festivities which occur on the 15th instant, 

 when it is customary for them to pray for protection from 

 sharks, &c., while engaged in diving." I can find no 

 record of a diver being killed, in recent years, by 

 a shark. But a case is cited, in which a native died 

 at Tuticorin from the poisonous stings of a jelly-fish. 

 At certain seasons of the year, jelly-fish are very abund- 

 ant in the Tuticorin harbour, and a resident merchant 

 tells me that, so great is the dread of them among the 

 natives, that he has known coolies, engaged in carrying 

 loads of palmyra jaggery through the shallow water to 

 the cargo-boats, refuse to enter the water till a track 

 free from jelly-fish was cleared for them by two canoes 

 dragging a net between them. 



The pearl-bank which is being fished at the present 

 time, is known as the " Tholayiram Par," which covers 

 an area of about five square miles, and lies more than ten 

 miles east of Tuticorin, in from 8 to loi fathoms. The 

 following record, by the Superintendent of the Pearl 

 Banks, shows the condition of this bank as regards 

 oyster-supply from the year i860 to 1884, the oysters 

 which are now being obtained having been first noticed 

 at an early stage of growth in the latter year :— 



April i860. — Plenty of oysters three and a half years old. 

 November 1861. — Oysters scarce ; nearly all gone. 

 April 1863. — Sooram and killikoy with some young oysters. 

 November 1865 to April 1869. — Blank. 

 March 1871. — Five oysters with a quantity o{ sooram. 

 February 1872. — Five oysters of three years old found. 

 May 1873. — Three oysters found. 

 January 1875. — Three oysters of two years old found. 

 March 1876. — North part blank. 

 April 1877, — South part blank. 



April 1878. — Thickly stocked with oysters one year old. 

 May 1879.— Blank. 

 May 1880.— Blank. 



May 1881. — Some oysters mixed with killikoy. 

 May 1882. — No oysters ; dead shells and soorain. 

 April 1883. — Three oysters found. 



March 1884. — Plenty of oysters one year old; clean and 

 healthy. 



This record shows very clearly how capricious is the 

 life of the pearl-oyster, how easily the hopes of a pro- 

 ductive bank may be banished (witness the total dis- 

 appearance of the oysters in 1879), and points to the evil 

 influence of sooram, which, spreading in dense masses 

 along the rocky bottom, crowds out the young pearl- 

 oysters. 



Since 1884, the "Tholayiram Par" has been carefully 

 watched, and the growth of the o\ster, from the young to 

 the adult stage, has steadily advanced. 



Ounces. 

 Ten oysters lifted, March 1884, weighed i 

 ,, ,, October 1884,- ,, 3I 



„ ,, March 1885, ,, 6^ 



,, ,, October 1885, ,, 7 



April 1886, ., 7i 



Novembn- i886, ,, 8| 

 ,, ,, March 1887, ,, lof 



,, ,, October 1887, ,, 13 



,, ,, Nove^iber 1888, ,, 15^ 



In November last, 15,000 oysters were taken from the 

 bank for the purpose of valuation by pearl-merchants, and 

 the product was valued at Rs. 13,12,8 per 1000 oysters. 



The shells of the oysters which are now being brought 

 in daily are incrusted with various marine animals 

 (Sponges, Polyzoa, &c.), and enveloped in masses of 

 delicate Algae ; but, among very many thousands which 

 I have examined, I have met with no sooram., and only 

 very few specimens of killikoy. The oysters are living 

 either on sand, by which they are partially buried, or on 

 coral rocky ground ( Turbinaria, Montipora, Porites, &c.), 

 and are ofien brought up attached by their byssus to dead 

 branches of Madrepores, or Melobesian ?iodiiles. Large 



specimens of the big nnai mullu shanku (Murex sp.) are 

 frequently brought up by the divers, and the tough 

 animal, when removed from the shell, is served up for 

 the evening meal. 



The improvised camp, from which the fishery is con- 

 ducted, is situated on the coast about two miles north 

 of Tuticorin, and, on the way thither across a long 

 stretch of sand, the kilns in which coral and shells are 

 converted into chunam are passed, and the chank 

 godowns, in which the chanks {Tiirbifiella rapa), \\\\o%q 

 shells afford an annual source of revenue to Government, 

 are stored, the animal matter being got rid of by the com- 

 bined influence of insects and bacteria. The camp, which 

 is built of bamboo and palmyra, is made up of residential 

 huts, tents, and bungalows, offices (treasury, dispensary, 

 &C-), sheds called /coltoos, in which the oysters are 

 counted and submitted to the unsavoury washing process, 

 and the native bazar, gaily decorated with flags, in which 

 the product of the oysters is exposed for sale. 



As soon after midnight as the land wind sets in, the 

 signal gun is fired on the shore by the native beach 

 master, and, amid a good deal of shouting, all sail is set, 

 and the fleet, which is unfortunately composed of less 

 than fifty b:)ats, with its complement of divers, makes for 

 the bank, which should be reached by daylight. The 

 hoisting of a flag on the schooner which is stationed on 

 the bank is the signal for the day's fishery to commence. 

 The limits of the entire bank are marked out by buoys, 

 and the divers are supposed only to work, on any given 

 day, over an area which is also indicated by buoys ; but, 

 owing to adverse winds and other causes, it is so:netimes 

 found impossible to keep the boats within the prescribed 

 area. A stone, to which a rope is attached, is put over 

 the boat's side, and a basket or net fastened in a siinilar 

 way. These ropes the diver takes in one hand, and, 

 placing one foot on the stone, he draws in a deep breath, 

 closing his nostrils with his other hand ; or the nose is 

 inserted into a clip, which tightly compresses the nostrils. 

 At a given signal the ropes are let go, and the diver 

 descends to the bottom. The slacking of the ropes shows 

 that this is reached. The diver then lets go the stone, 

 which is drawn up to the surface, and, after filling the 

 basket or net with oysters, he ascends to the surface to 

 regain his breath. The divers work in couples, two to 

 each stone, and the oysters brought up are kept carefully 

 separated from those of other divers. The other day 

 237,000 oysters were brought up by 454 divers, in about 

 5^ hours, giving an average of 524 oysters to each 

 diver. A European diver is engaged experimentally 

 on the bank, but his greatest haul in a day has been 

 only 1500 oysters. 



The diving operations cease for the day about 1.30 p.m., 

 and the boats start for the land, the signal gun being 

 fired and the Union Jack run up on the flagstaft'as soon 

 as they are sighted. On reaching the shore the boats are 

 secured, the oysters carried to the shed, rapidly counted, 

 and divided into three heaps. The superintendent of the 

 fishery, or some other responsible officer, touches with his 

 stick one of these heaps, which becomes the property of 

 the divers, who receive a pass and carry their hard- 

 gained earnings outside the shed, where a swarming 

 crowd of natives is waiting, eager to try their luck by 

 purchasing a few oysters at a rate varying from about 

 fifteen to forty for a rupee. Until long after dark crowds 

 of natives may be seen squatting in circles on the sand, 

 opening their oysters and carefully examining the flesh 

 with a knife in search of even the smallest pearls. The 

 utmost good temper prevails, and the possessor of only a 

 few seed pearls is, apparently, perfectly happy. The two 

 heaps which are left by the divers constitute the Govern- 

 ment share, and are carefully counted by Government 

 coolies. The beating of the tom-tom then announces 

 that the Government auction is about to commence. 

 The oysters are put up for sale in lots of 1000, and the 



