394 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. 1, 1900. 
In Marcu, 1885, 1 had 12,000 oysters 18 months 
old lifted from the Cheval Paar, and placed in 
the tank on the reef, three hours after they 
were lifted , having been kept in the meantime 
in a boat half filled with seawater. But, when 
I returned to Sillavaturai the following year 
they had disappeared. I then constructed a new 
tank on a more sheltered part of the reef, 12 
feet square and 4 feet deep at low water, much 
mud was found between the branches of the coral, 
but it was all well cleared out, and a quantity 
of coral stone was placed in the bottom of the 
tank and around the side on top of reef to protect 
the tank from wash of sea at high water. 
When this new tank was completed it seemed 
an ideal place for such an experiment, beautiful 
clear water in it, and not a sign of mud. 5,000 
oysters 2^ years old taken from the Cheval Paar 
were placed in it; and 1,000 in a large wooden 
cage, made for the purpose, which was weighted 
wi.th stone and sunk in 9 feet of water half a 
mile rom the beach. 
I left iSillavaturai on that occasion in hope of 
ray experiment being successful ; but alas ! on my 
return a year afterwards I found the oysters in 
the beautiful tank on the reef — all dead — having 
been smothered in 18 inches of mud, at the bottom 
of it, which had been washed into it from adjoining 
parts of the reef by the S. W. Monsoon sea, and the 
cage was found broken up, and the few oysters left 
in it were dead : and thus ended my experiments 
in artificial cultivation. I subsequently thought of 
making a preserve on some part of the eastern shore 
of the island of Karraittivu, but had to give up that 
idea, as I found on searching for a suitable spot, 
that it was all muddy bottom, which would have 
been fatal to young oysteis. There appeals to be 
no sheltered spot on the west coast of Ceylon 
suitable for pearl oyster cultivation. Some of the 
bays in Trincomalee harbour might prove suitable, 
and if so, they would be, I believe, the only places 
likely to be found for this experiment in Ceylon. 
The late Dr. Kelaart succeeded in taking pearl 
oysters from Sillavaturai in chatties round to 
Trincomalee, and in keeping them alive for some 
time after. 
In connection with this subject the question 
arises whether or not, in the event of peari oysters 
being successfully reared in shallow water, it would 
be necessary to lay them out in their natural beds 
to produce pearl. During a visit I made in 1867 
to the edible oyster preserves on Hayling Island 
near Portsmouth, I was informed that it was 
necessary, when the young oysters had attained an 
age of one year or more in the preserves, to lay 
them out on their natural beds to fatten, and this 
might be found necessary also in the case of pearl 
oysters for the purpose of producing pearls. The 
native headmen who were employed at fisheries and 
inspections of the pearl banks years ago, declared 
that oysters found in shallow water never con- 
tained pearls, and that only those found in deep 
water were of any value. I have not had an 
opportunity of testing this theory ; but if it is 
correct, then any scheme of pearl oyster culture 
attempted hereafter would have to contend with 
the risk of young oysters, after transference 
to their natural beds, being at the mercy of 
their enemies, almost as much as they are now ; 
and in that case, Trincomalee would be too far 
away from the beds in the Gulf of Manaar, as 
the cost of transference of the large number of 
young oysters required to produce a fishery would 
be prohibitive, even if found, feasible. There are 
no known pearl oyster beds on the east coast of 
Ceylon. The headmen's theory is, however, sup- 
ported by the fact of a bed of pearl oysters on 
the Kondatche Paar being abandoned in 1855, 
owing to the oysters being unremunerative in pearls. 
This bank lies in 3 to 3§ fathoms water, three miles 
from the shore. 
The following quotation from Mr. Edgar Thurs- 
ton's Bulletin No. 1 on Pearl and Chank Fisheries 
of the Gulf of Manaar, 1894, is significant : — 
"The artificial cultivation of the pearl oyster 
was attempted some years ago in a nursery made 
in the shallow muddy water of the Tuticoiin 
harbour without success ; and in his final report 
to the Ceylon Government, Mi-. Holdswortli ex- 
presses his opinion, with which I thoroughly 
concur, that there ie no grouna for thinking that 
artificial cultivation of the pearl oyster can be 
profitably cairied out on the Ceylon coast, as the 
conditions necessary lor the healthy growth of the 
oysters are not to be found in the very few places 
where they could be at all protected or watched.'' 
Discussion. 
Mr. Haly on being called upon to speak, re- 
marked, that he knew nothing more about the 
Pearl Oyster— nor did he take any special in- 
terest in it more— than any other inver- 
tebrate of the great Indo-Pacific Fauna. 
As to its migrations it shares that habit with 
numerous species of widely different classes. 
Last year, he accompanied Professor Gooderich to 
Trincomalee in hopes of obtaining certain species 
abundant there in 1887 and 1890; but although 
the whole coast and harbour weie carefully 
searched not an individual was procured. In the 
same way a very large and handsome Aplysia 
or sea-hare and a species of MeZt.be (a most strange 
and remarkable mollusc) appeared in August and 
Septerjber in Welis'ama bay ; this year the 
Aplysia cannot be found and the Melibe is scarce. 
When he expressed his surprise to Mr. Goode- 
rich at the disappearance of the species formerly 
so abuddant at Trincomalee , Professor Gooderich 
stated that the same phenomenon occurs on every 
coast. A scientific inquiry on a large scale there- 
fore, into the Pearl Oyster fishery could not fail 
to beof great benefit to the Museum as tending to 
throw more or less light on the habits of mimerous 
species of widely remote classes. 
H.E. THE Governor next called on Mr. 
Ferguson, who said : — I suppose it is because 
I am the oldest member on the roll of 
the Society in Colombo that I have been asked to 
propose a cordial vote of thanks to Mr. Collett 
for the interesting and extremely useful paper he 
has read to us this evening. In any case it gives 
me very great pleasure to comply with the re- 
quest. It is interesting to note that from time 
immemorial, there have been fisheries of Pearls 
and Pearl Shell all round the Indian Ocean, on 
the African, Asiatic and Austral coasts— from 
Mozambique to the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, to 
Karachi, the Gulf of Mannar — the Tinnevelly and 
Ceylon coasts — the Burma coast at Bahrein — the 
Saigon, Philippines and Bornean as well as Chinese 
coasts and up some of the Chinese rivers, and 
also round one-half of Australia. Our Cey- 
lon fisheries are among bhe oldest and 
most famous, seeing that a European 
visitor found 8, COO boats at work about the middle 
of the 14th century. But then in the Book of 
Job, some 3,500 years ago, there was mentiop 
made of both " coral and pearls." In Europe^ 
