4 Melvill, Molluscan Fauna of the Arabian Sea, etc. 



sandstone, in which several kinds of borers are common, 

 and, though not nearly as rich in results as might be 

 expected from their situation and appearance, yet some 

 of the species found there are exceptionally fine. For 

 instance, Cyprcea lentiginosa, C. pallida, C. turdiis. The 

 loose stones of the training groin inside the harbour 

 furnish very similar species, but they are not, as a rule, 

 so fine in colour or size as those found on the reef This 

 may be due to the fact that the stones forming the groin 

 are in a more or less muddy and dirty state, whilst the reef 

 is free from mud and deposit from the harbour. 



"The sandy beach, which extends for miles, is even less 

 productive than the rocks, the few species found there 

 being common and uninteresting. As will be seen, 

 whenever the list we are contemplating is published, the 

 majority of the Karachi species have been obtained by 

 dredging. The most profitable ground for this kind of 

 work is a mixture of sand and mud with loose stones, in 

 the immediate vicinity of rocky patches or reefs. Different 

 kinds of softish mud also yield good results, but not 

 without much labour, as the dredge fills quickly, and so 

 the contents take some time to sift. There is a good deal 

 of shingle about Karachi, the worst of all bottoms, as the 

 dredge is filled at once with stuff that cannot be sifted, 

 and is seldom worth careful examination. 



" Before passing from Karachi, it may be worth noting 

 the manner in which the fishermen obtain quantities of 

 Solen corneus, which they use for bait for certain kinds of 

 fish. A pointed stick about two feet long is introduced 

 into one of the holes with which the mud flats abound, and, 

 should an obstruction be felt, is quickly withdrawn and a 

 pinch of common salt dropped into the hole. The stick 

 is then re-inserted, and twirled rapidly and lightly between 

 the palms of the hands until an upward movement is felt 

 and the fish appears, more than half the shell sometimes 

 protruding above the surface of the mud. 



