400 Proceedings of the 



mals. Without glass aquaria, and a powerful microscope, I 

 should not perhaps have obtained even that information on the 

 minute anatomy and habits of the pearl oyster, which is em- 

 bodied in this Introductory Report. Soon after my appoint- 

 ment, I ordered out large glass aquaria and other apparatus, 

 which will be of service hereafter to myself, or to those who 

 may be engaged years hence in reporting to Government from 

 time to time the natural condition of the oyster in their vari- 

 ous banks. In the meantime, I have made use of large glass 

 globes and Ceylon manufactured aquaria, made of thick crown 

 glass, Roman cement and slate, purchased from the naval store. 

 Large chatties, too, and tubs, are also in use. The oysters 

 thrive best in chatties ; but these do not afford the same oppor- 

 tunity of seeing their habits as glass-sided aquaria. I have 

 also, in addition to the above-named means of observation, had 

 perforated wooden boxes, with a few oysters in each, deposited 

 in various depths of the sea ; and latterly, I have used large 

 canoes (ballams) for the same purpose ; lastly, though perhaps 

 of most importance, I have had unexpected facilities of obser- 

 vation among the several small beds of oysters found in the 

 inner harbour of Trincomaiie. They are found of all ages and 

 sizes, and various depths and different kinds of banks ; so that 

 no naturalist has perhaps ever had the same opportunity of 

 observing the habits of the pearly mollusc as I have at present. 

 In concluding this first Report, I shall briefly reca- 

 pitulate the important discoveries I have already made. The 

 pearl oyster is more tenacious of life than any bivalve mollusc 

 I am acquainted with. It can live even in brackish water, and 

 in places so shallow, that it must be exposed for three or four 

 hours daily to the sun, and other atmospheric influences ; that 

 it has locomotive powers beyond any idea which can be formed 

 from former observations ; that the power of moving from 

 place to place is inherent, and absolutely necessary in early 

 life, for the due performance of the animal functions. This 

 is obvious from the fact, that if a cluster of young oysters 

 stayed permanently in one place, adhering to each other, the 

 growth of the animal, and particularly of its shell, would be 

 prevented ; that the pearl oyster will move about in search 

 of food, if the locality in which it is originally placed is not 



