172 J. HORNELL ON 



prow and equally without sail and rowing rail is used in line-fishing and hence is 

 called thundil-maram or "hook-catamaran" (fig. i6). 



Last to be mentioned is the great kolamaram of "flying-fish catamaran," in 

 some ways the variety of greatest interest. It is the largest form of catamaran 

 used on the Coromandel coast, where it is found chiefly along the shore-line of the 

 Tanjore district. Only used during the clear-water season of July and August, 

 it is more of the primitive raft and less of the carefully designed sea-craft than 

 any of the beaked forms above described. To construct one a couple or even three 

 periya marams or erukka valai marams are untied and (usually) seven of the 

 longest logs are selected and tied side by side, rigidity being obtained by lashing two 

 cross poles over each end. A stem is formed as in the periya maram and other 

 forms by lashing five stem pieces at the fore end. Two short masts each hoisting 

 the usual triangular catamaran sail, are stepped in holes in the outside log of which- 

 ever side happens to be leeward, one forward, the other two-thirds aft, and with 



Fig. 15. — An Irukka-maram, Madras. 



Fig. 16. — A Thundil-maram, Madras. 



sails hoisted, this queer craft, manned by seven men, boldly not to say rashly 

 ventures out of sight of land, heading for the kala pant outside of the loo-fathom 

 line, where alone can shoals of flying-fish be found. The amount of food and water 

 taken is exceedingly limited and if the shoals are not found within the first day, 

 the men have no option but to turn and set a course for home. Sometimes they 

 make such an amount of leeway in spite of the use of two large leeboards that 

 they fetch the coast 20, 30 and even 50 miles to the north of their port of departure, 

 and if they happen to have a haul of fish aboard, its condition is then fit only for 

 manure. But the profits often bring a great recompense and a fisherman learns 

 to take such risks. 



North of the Kistna and Godavari deltas and employed almost entirely by 

 Telugu fishermen, a more primitive and simpler form of catamaran is in use than 

 satisfies the Tamil fishers of the Coromandel Coast. On the shores of Ganjam, 

 it consists essentially of five logs brought to a narrowed point at the forward 

 end, where two accessory stem pieces being added give a sharp beak point as in the 



