North-ivest Australian Fishery. 145 



could see the shells. These shallow waters in turn 

 became exhausted, and the boats were increased 

 in size to five or six tons ; such boats were 

 capable of shifting from one ground to another, 

 but always kept within a short distance of the 

 shore. At the present day there is a large fleet of 

 cutters and schooners, varying between 25 and 

 80 tons, with three to six dingies each,' working 

 almost out of sight of land, and several hundred 

 miles away from any settlement. 



The whole northern coast of Australia, from 

 Cape York to the North-west Cape, a distance of 

 2000 miles, is the habitat of the Mother-of-Pearl 

 oyster. Immense quantities of shell have, it is true, 

 been taken in Torres Straits, but there the con- 

 ditions of working are far easier than in the 

 North-west, where hurricanes and six months cold 

 weather, deter any but men of a very adventurous 

 and hardy character from embarking in the 

 industry. 



The West Australian grounds extend from 



Exmouth Gulf eastwards as far as King's Sound ; 



beyond these limits the boats have seldom gone. 



Roebuck Bay alone has in two seasons yielded as 



much as 440 tons of shell. The head-quarters 



of the pearling fleet are at Cossack, a township 



K 



