THE PEARL OYSTER OF CEYLON. 175 



shells ; or from these substances being covered over for a time with sand. 

 This, probably, is also a temporary hindrance to the formation of new 

 banks. Taking all these well ascertained circumstances, and also the pro- 

 bable ones, into consideration, I have to propose to the Ceylon Government 

 not only the adoption of M. Coste's plan of placing fascines on oyster-beds, 

 for the collection of the spawn, but that a barrier be placed round each 

 bank, in order to prevent the oysters from being forced away by currents 

 or other causes, to regions unknown. 



That young oysters will attach themselves to any hard substances placed 

 in the sea, cannot be doubted. An iron boat anchor accidentally dropped 

 over-board during the fishery of 1857 was brought up this year by one of 

 the English divers, covered with young oysters, and in my experiments at 

 Trincomalie, I found that even very old oysters will reform their beards 

 and refix themselves to old shells, wood, iron, coir matting, zinc plates, 

 cocoa nut shells, chatties, &c. The piles supporting the piers in the 

 harbour are covered with young edible oysters. We have thus every 

 encouragement for the adoption of the method I beg to suggest, for the 

 future conservation of the pearl banks of Ceylon and India. 



The plan proposed, is, to girdle or barricade the oyster banks with coir 

 matting supported on iron frames, and placed round each bank about ten 

 yards beyond the edge of the oyster bed ; fascines, dead oyster shells, 

 corals, &c, being deposited between the barricade and the edge of the bank. 

 The interspace will allow of sufficient room for the roaming disposition of 

 the oysters ; and the impediments thrown in their way will give new 

 surfaces for their attachment, while at the same time they will form a suffi- 

 cient barrier to prevent the oysters escaping to distant parts of the sea, 

 where they would not readily, if ever, be found again. This barricade of 

 con- and iron, with the fascines, will also attract and fix any spawn that may 

 be floating about. I placed, last year, with the aid of the English divers, a 

 few wicker work and coir fascines, or rather cages, on both banks, and I 

 shall be very glad to have their condition examined and reported upon by 

 the divers, after their next inspection of the banks. 



It will be of little value to carry on any experiments of the above kind, 

 in Trincomalie harbour, for the nature of the Arripo banks is very different, 

 and the influences of the sea on the two banks are not the same ; I have, 

 therefore, to propose, that before Government decides upon any plan, a fair 

 trial of it be made in one of the Arripo banks ; say, even on one of those 

 large scattered masses of young oysters near the large banks — a trial of six 

 or twelve months will, perhaps, be sufficient to test its value. 



Before concluding this report, I have another proposal to submit for the 

 better preservation of oyster beds. 



It is now quite established, that young oysters will live after being once 

 removed from the sea. I had the pleasure of exhibiting to his Excellency 

 the Governor, when he visited Arripo during the last fishery, a quantity of 

 young oysters living attached to a glass vivariam. These I had picked up 

 at the Coottoos, after they had been out of water for more than four or 



