November, 1912. 



KNO\VLi:i)GE. 



But, it is probable that the actual cost of collecting, 

 transplanting and raising the shell was considerably 

 more than co\ered by the price realised by sales. 



The work done by this compan\- can hardly be 

 called cultivation. It was simplv removing young 

 and undersized shell from the natural grounds and 

 laying them down in more sheltered waters, in order 

 that when they had grown to a profitable size or to 

 a size at which they could be marketed without 

 infringing regulations, the)' might be economically 

 harvested. As to the scientific investigations, it was 

 absurd to imagine that the problems could be solved 

 in a couple of years by a young naturalist, fresh from 

 college and without pre\ious experience. If success 

 could be achieved so easily as this the prospects of 

 this industry would indeed be alluring I 



(3) Mv Kxi'i:kiments in Paita, 

 i\ 1899-1900. 



From November, 1S99, to August. 1900, I was 

 engaged by the lessees of the Conflict Atoll in 

 experimenting with a view to the cultivation of the 

 black-edged mother-of-pearl o\ster, M. iiiar<iaritifeni, 

 and the introduction into the lagoon of the large 

 mother-of-pearl oyster, M. maxima, which occurs 

 around the mainland and larger islands. In the 

 caseof the former species, the difficult\' centred around 

 the impracticability of obtaining spat in sufficient 

 quantities, the great bulk of the supposed spat 

 obtained on collectors proving to be a worthless 

 species, M. panascsae. With regard to .1/. maxima, 

 it does not, in my experience, frequent pure atoll 

 formations, its occurrence in Eastern British New 

 Guinea being confined to the neighbourhood of the 

 mainland, and of those islands w hich are of a forma- 

 tion other than recent coral. 



Several consignments of this species were laid 

 down. Attempts to secure spat from them were 

 not successful, and, while my observations did not 

 extend over a sufficient period to warrant a dog- 

 matic statement, all the indications point to the 

 conclusion that proposals to establish this species in 

 atoll formations, where it is not native, are not 

 likely to meet with success, and I urged strongly 

 at the time that, if the cultivation of this species 

 was to be undertaken seriously, a suitable site on its 

 native grounds should be secured. 



The apparent unsuitability of atoll lagoons for 

 this species is perhaps associated with the higher 

 salinity of the water, and the absence of river 

 influence ; for my studies lead me to believe that, 

 while an excess of fresh water is injurious to this 

 species, it normally frequents localities where the 

 water is, occasionally or regularly, influenced by 

 minute traces of river water and the detritus which 

 it carries with it. 



(4) Mk. J. R. TpsH's Work for the 

 Queensland Government. 



Mr. Tosh, who had been trained under Professor 

 M'Intosh, at St. Andrew's Universitv, went out in 



June, 1900, and made Thursday Island his head- 

 ([uarters. There is practically no published record 

 of what he achieved, and there is some reason to 

 think he received inadequate support from the 

 Government. He and I laid down a few young 

 pearl oysters at Badu, in September 1900, with a 

 view to obtaining growth data: but I do not think 

 that these were ever recovered. In 1901, he made 

 proposals for the erection of a laboratory and 

 " hatchery " at Wai Weer, a small island about 

 two miles distant from Thursda}' Island : but effect 

 was not given to his proposal, although I believe 

 tenders were called for. The laboratory was to 

 include three concrete tanks for experimental work 

 (see note by Professor M'Intosh, in Xatiire, 

 August 15th, 1901), and it is probable that these 

 constituted the " hatchery " — another of the many 

 barren |)roposals to raise oysters in tanks. Mr. 

 Tosh published a report, of a purely administrative 

 nature, in the Report of the Queensland Marine 

 Department for 1900-1901. The principal recom- 

 mendations were the closing and opening of the 

 grounds in rotation, as is done in the French 

 Pacific, the gradual reduction of the number of 

 boats licensed, and the raising of the size limit to 

 six inches. He also ad\ocated the adoption of the 

 six-inch limit for the black-lipped shell, which to 

 anyone familiar with that species in Queensland 

 waters will a[)[)ear quite absurd. 



Mr. Millman, the Government Resident at Thurs- 

 day Island, in his Report for the year 1904, stated 

 that Mr. Tosh " by actual experiment arrived at the 

 knowledge that, given suitable tanks or docks, some- 

 thing like seventy-five per cent, of the enormous 

 number of spat might be saved, and would on 

 removal to proper beds arrive at maturitw" If Mr. 

 Tosh achieved this result he has done w hat practic- 

 ally all other experimenters have failed to do with this 

 and other s[)ecies, despite man}- and elaborate 

 experiments. Mr. Millman goes on to say that Mr. 

 Tosh"s services were " dispensed with at a time 

 when he was about to fully demonstrate the method 

 of securing and saving the spat emitted in such 

 enormous numbers.'" It appears in Mr. Millman's 

 report that it was proposed to raise spat in the 

 hatchery at Wai Weer, and to sell the young shell, 

 at six months old, to cultivators, to be laid dow n on 

 their concessions till it should reach a marketable 

 size. The artificial production of " pearls," appar- 

 ently on the Japanese lines, was also a part of the 

 scheme, as outlined by Mr. Millman. Mr. Millman 

 also made the statement (I do not know on what 

 authority) that the oyster changes its sex everj- year ; 

 this I believe to be unfounded. 



(5) Mr. Saville-Kknt's Enterprise 

 IN 1908. 



About the year 1906 Mr. Saville-Kent obtained a 

 concession for cultivation purposes near Somerset, 

 in Torres Straits, and shortly afterwards formed the 

 Natural Pearl Shell Cultivation Company, Limited, 



