NAUTICAL NOTES. 255 



Tlie north-east extension is of coral debris alone with sand, and was formerly charted as a separate 

 paar lmo^vn as Kallatidel Paav. The south-east extension of the Cheval is of flat rock, heavy ealorete, 

 and coral debris, and was known as the true Kondatchi Paar, and charted as a separate paar. 



The entire area of the West and East Cheval, with extensions, is approximately 21 square miles. 

 The depth of water over the West Cheval is from 7 to 8 fathoms, and on the East Cheval 6 fathoms. 

 The extensions average a depth of 5 to 5| fathoms of water. Tlie most productive part of the Cheval 

 has been the south part of the East Cheval. 



The Moderagam Paar. — What has been known as the North and South Moderagam Paars, and 

 charted as separate areas of rock, are practically a southern extension of the East Cheval, although 

 separated from the latter. This area is nearly aU sand with scattered coral debris, so scattered in fact 

 as to hardly admit of being described as paar ground. A long narrow run of coral debris which extends 

 due west from the East Cheval alone lends itself to configuration as paar ground, although scattered 

 coral debris Ues to the east and west. The rocky area lies in a deep water cul-de-sac, which i^robably 

 aceomits for oysters maturing here. A bed of 6,000,000 oysters matured on the Moderagam and was 

 fished in 1904. The depth of water here, as on the East Cheval, is 6 fathoms. 



The Periya Paar Karat. — This paar is a compact sohd stretch of flat rook which hes due north of 

 the Cheval at a distance of 2 miles, the intervening area being sand. A peculiarity of this paar is the 

 prevalence of large potholes, vaiying from 12 to 15 feet across and from 3 to 4 feet in depth, with 

 overhanging edges. These holes are the resorts of numbers of fish. 



The existence of these holes is a striking proof of the absence of bottom cm-rents and silting, for 

 it is evident that the holes would be full of saud, and would appear as sand patches if there was anv drift 

 of sand. The prevalence of these potholes makes dredging difficult. The area of the paar is roughly 

 2 square miles , and the average depth 8 fathoms. 



Calcrete and coral debris occur on the flat rock, and a great variety of weed. The Periya Paar 

 Karai figures largely in the history of the banks as being a paar on which oysters have frequently matured. 

 It was on this paar tliat a bed of spat was found in November, 1908, which mifortunately was demohshed 

 by predatoi-y fish , as was amply proved by the quantities of broken shell and shell fragments dredged 

 up by the " Violet," and also brought up by divers. The next paar of importance is — 



The true Vankali Paar, which lays 2^ miles nortli-west of the Periya Paar Karai ; it is separated 

 from the latter by a narrow neck of sand. A bed of spat also occurred on this paar in November, 1908, 

 which was considerably larger than the one which was found on the Periya Paar Karai, but shared 

 the same fate. The area of tliis paar has been found to be much more extensive than shown on the 

 original chart. 



The paar lays roughly east and west. It is 3 miles long, and covers an area of about 6 square 

 miles. The depth of water is 7 fathoms on the east ; it deepens to 8 and 8^ in the centre, and to 10 

 fathoms on the west, where it approaches to within 2 miles of the nortliern extremity of the Periya Paar. 

 Two-thirds of the paar has a depth of under 9 fathoms. 



The paar is rouglily made up of flat rock, with calcrete and coral debris. There is an extension to 

 the north of coral debris, which thins out, and is too scattered to chart as true paar ground. 



The whole of this paar is excellent ground for oysters. It is difficult to understand why it has 

 not a better record, but it seems Ukely, as it is so closely adjacent to the Periya Paar Karai, that some 

 of the fislieries attributed to the latter may have occurred on the true Vankah. 



The general characteristics of the West Cheval, the Periya Paar Karai, and the true Vankali 

 closely approximate each other, the nature of the bottom and the average depth of water being the 

 same. 



A northern landmark was much iieeded here. The beacons recently erected on the Vankali and 

 Aripu reefs have met this want. 



The Kondatchi Paar occuis on an area — ^now known as the Kondatchi area — east of the Cheval, 

 extending to the 3-fathom line, and reaching as far north as tlie Silavatarai reef, and south to the 

 KeUar obehsk. Scattered coral debris is found over a considerable portion of this area, but it is too 



