46 



thrown up by the tide along the shore to the south of the town, and from the muddv 

 character of the bottom I thought it useful to investigate further. Accordingly 

 taking two fishermen I proceeded south along the coast and passed the salt factory 

 scrutinizing as we proceeded the eroded edge of the low sandy land on the one side 

 and the face of the littoral on the other. Along the shore of the bay-like estuary 

 south of the salt factory large quantities of dead PJacinia shells are observable in 

 two places accumulated in dense masses and embedded in the sand some little 

 distance below high-water mark. The shells appear as densely packed as those in 

 the great heaps which mark the sites of former fisheries of this shell-fish along the 

 shores of Lake Tampalakam near Trincomalie in Ceylon. 



Close by I saw others embedded in the adjacent sand hummocks, showing up 

 wherever a section was exposed. In some places a depth of sand of fully 18 inches 

 lay upon the shells. Meanwhile the fishermen had been wading about in the shallows 

 and after trying various places found a small bed of the living animal and brought 

 ashore a considerable number. The majority of them were fairly well grown and 

 approaching maturity. The size of six typical individuals averaged 15|- centimetres 

 in diameter, being almost perfectly circular in outline. 



The men also reported large numbers of dead shells which, however, probably 

 belonged to past generations. 



Placuna lives well out of water if kept in a cool situation, a property due to the 

 faculty this shell-fish possesses of closing the valves tightly at all points round the 

 margin, after the fashion of the edible oyster. In this particular ease, several indi- 

 viduals which I put on one side for this experiment were found alive and vigorous 

 thirty hours later, in spite of being drained of water and the temperature as high as 

 96° F. in the shade. 



In Ceylon a fishery of this shell was frequently leased by Government with 

 considerable profit during the past century, the locality being an extensive shallow 

 muddy bay on the north-east coast, close to the harbour of Trincomalie. 



In Tuticorin I could glean no information as to whether a fishery had ever been 

 held in the neighbourhood ; in view of the presence of living individuals and of the 

 great piles of embedded shells along the sea-shore it might prove to be of advantange 

 to Government if further search were made in suitable localities — backwaters, shallow 

 estuaries, etc. — along the coast of the Madras Presidency with a view to locate any 

 beds sufficiently large to provide a fishery and to ascertain also if pearls be sufficiently 

 numerous to make such a fishery profitable. I notice that Dr. Edgar Thurston * 

 records Placuna from Pulicat lake and Buckingham canal. The former of these has, 

 I understand, an area far exceeding that of Tampalakam Bay and should therefore 

 receive special attention. 



The weather had now improved temporarily and it w T as decided to spend two 

 more days upon the banks, in order if possible to provide me with an opportunity to 

 make a diving descent upon the Tolayiram Par, a matter which I considered to be of 

 great importance. 



Leaving Tuticorin on the morning of May 17th, we proceeded to a position 

 south-west of Mela Onpatu Par, where we spent the whole of the available time in 

 taking numerous hauls of the dredge in 9J to 10 fathoms. My intention had been to 

 select a locality which was a known chank bed in order to experiment with the dredge. 

 I had accordingly requested Captain Carlyon to arrange to be taken to a suitable 

 bank, the consequence being that the pilotage of the steamer was entrusted to a Par- 

 mandadai, who was, I understand, informed of my wish in the matter. The results 

 showed that he deliberately placed the ship where I am absolutely convinced no chank 

 bed exists. 



This action, accidental or intentional, barred my way to demonstrate, as I had 

 wished, the utility of the dredge in fishing for chanks. Fortunately one of the pearl 

 banks fished in February 1905, on the Ceylon side, adjoins a chank bed, and having 



* " Notes on the Pearl and Chant fisheries and Marine Fauna of the Gulf of Manaar, " Madras, 1890, page 27. 



