170 ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



North America, and India failed, and are now mere matters of history. 

 And I must add, that under this plan the Negombo, Chilaw, and Calpentyn 

 Banks were lost to the Ceylon Government, and this plan, long pursued 

 by Capt. Steuart, terminated in the failure of the fisheries at Arripo for 

 nearly twenty j^ears. Would it do now, when science has thrown some 

 new light on the subject, to persist in what is objectionable ? Capt. Higgs 

 may say, he leaves a sufficient number of oysters, perhaps even a larger 

 number that that which can be found in the patch which he has reluctantly 

 spared for this year ; but in what condition will he leave the small clusters ? 

 In a condition anything but natural. It is true, that the oysters I have 

 shown him were in spawn, but he did not wait until I could explain to him 

 under what conditions the oyster spawn conld come to maturity, or become 

 fertilised. I have reason to believe, that the injury done to the bank by 

 the divers, and the anchors of their boats, has a fatal effect from which it 

 does not recover for years. 



In my former report, I stated that the oysters will die, if the water is 

 impure. Now, let us examine what takes place, when the divers have 

 kicked, splashed, and torn everything before them while in the water. 

 Not only do some oysters left behind die immediately, but other molluscs, 

 Zoophytes, and sea-weeds die, and must necessarily stagnate the water at 

 the bottom of the sea. The result of all this must be, the gradual dying 

 off, not only of the oysters left on the bank, but also of the young. I have 

 seen sufficient numbers of fresh dead oysters brought up, from that portion 

 of this year's bank already fished, to show what the higher rate of mortality 

 must be in a very short time. Capt. Higgs, in his letter to the superin- 

 tendent, states that the oysters I thought had died since the fishery began, 

 looked as if they had been recently opened. The matter is too serious to 

 remain uncommented on, and I take this opportunity of giving the post 

 mortem appearances of gradual decay of oysters, and those dead from death 

 caused by the divers or other men in the boat, killing an oyster with the 

 hope of obtaining pearls. When an oyster dies, the two valves of the 

 shell remain for months united at the hinge. When an oyster is opened, 

 the valves are disunited. The so-called recently opened shells, brought 

 up from the fished part of the pearl banks, had all the shells with the valves 

 united at the hinge ; a few were separated by me after they were brought 

 into the boat. 



I have recently gone through most part of the bank fished last year, in 

 company with the Maniagar of Jaffna, and was not surprised to Jfind 

 grounds of oyster shells of all sizes, and dead shells of so young oysters as 

 to be considered of one or two year's growth. From amid this wreck and 

 ruin, the divers brought up occasionally a large live oyster, but not small 

 ones. But on coming to that part of the bank which was " unwillingly" 

 left unfished last year, the oysters were alive and in good condition, and 

 very rarely was a dead shell brought up. I have also gone through many 

 of the parts of this year's banks, and found, wherever the divers have 

 been, there were many dead shells, and only a few dead ones were obtained 

 from those parts which have not yet been fished. 



