244 
THE TROPICAL AGKICULTOjRiST. 
[Oct. 1, 1901. 
oysters. Tlie bed of oysters on this bauk in March 
1900, was about 386 acres in area covered with young 
oysters. Since that time the oysters have rapidly dis- 
appeared from the bank, and therefore there is little 
chance of any oysters being found on it a year hence. 
KARAITIVU PAAR. 
15. On this ba'ik a fairly large bed of pearl oysters 
six to twelve mouths old was found, havini? an area 
of about 234 acres, estimated to average 40 oysters 
to the dive, and to contain about 30 millions of oy.°ters. 
ihis bank has produced mature oysters before, some 
ha-ring been fished from it in December, 1889, and in 
April, 1890, and therefore there is no reason against 
a due proportion of the young oysters now on it 
coming to maturity. 
ALANTURA PAIR, 
16. On this bank a small bed of pearl oysters 12 
to 18 months old was found, having an area of about 
46 acres, estimated to average 33 oysters to a dive, 
and to contain about five millions of oysters. A very 
small bed of mature oysters was found on this bank 
in February, 1892, and therefore there is a likelihood 
of a due proportion of the oysters now on it coming 
to maturity. 
MUTTUVARATU PAAR. 
17. There is an extensive bed of pearl oysters on 
this bank from 1, IJ, to 2 years old, having an area 
of about 1889 acres, estimated to average 51 oysters 
to a dive on the northern portion of it, and 31 oysters 
to a dive on the southern portion, and to contain 
about 178 millions of oysters. The area of this bed 
of oysters in March 1900, was about 2,020 acres. The 
preseot configuration of the bed shows that a large 
area on the north-west side of the southern portion of 
the bank has been completely cleared of oysters since 
March, 1900, and this eccounts for the present defi- 
ciency in area as compared with that of March, 19C0. 
On the other hand, the oysters on the north part of 
this bank have spread a little more to the north-east 
than they were before. 
the beds of Oysters, and the umber of Oysters 
estimated to be on them. 
r3 o 
^1 
so i 
a) a, 2 
o g o 
E-l 3 
o 
o 
ci 
S 2 
Cheval Paar 4,844 
Periya Paar 557 
Periya Paar 
Karrai 
Outer Van- 
, kalai Paar 
Kondatchi 
Paar 
248 
273 
196 
Dutch Mod- 
ragam Paar 51 
Earaitiva 
Paar 234 
Alantura Paar 46 
Muttuvaratu 
Paar 1,8 
277,000,000 lJto2 7rs Prospects o* 
fishery good 
20,000,009 12 to 18 ms Bank un- 
reliable 
7,000,000 1 to 2 yrs Oysters 
likely to 
matar« 
12,000,000 1 to 2 yrs Bank cn 
reliable 
12,000,000 1| to 2 yrs Bank has 
not produced 
a previou* 
fishery 
1,750,000 1| to 2 yrs Bank un- 
reliable 
30,000,000 6tol2m8 Oysters 
likely to 
mature 
5,000,000 12 to 18 ms Oysters 
likely to 
matare 
178,000,000 1, lJto2ys Prospects of 
fishery good 
(No. 18 appeared in last niqMs issue) ^'^^^ 542,750,000 
, „ , . , . . . . NOTE EXPLANATORY ( 
19. On several occasions during the inspection 
when at anchor on pearl banks the crew of the vessel 
caught some rock fish from about 5 to 15 lb. in weight. 
The stomachs of these fish -were found to contain 
nothing but fragments of pearl oyster shells and 
other shells; some of which must have required con- 
siderable pressure to crush them, and on some ooca- 
siods I saw from the deck of the Teasel swarms of 
fish moving about near the bottom. I have no doubt 
that rook fish are chiefly responsible for the destruction 
of young pearl oyster beds, and I firmly believe that 
all that is necessary to preserve the oyster beds and to 
Increase the number of pearl fisheries is to devise 
some practicable means of protecting young oysters 
np to the age of two years or more from the attacks 
of such fish. 
20. There is no lack of pearl oyster spat in the 
neighbourhood of our Northern Pearl Banks, as young 
oysters have been frequently found on some of the 
banks, but none left when the same bank has been 
examined the following year. Such disappearance 
has genei'ally been attributed to migration of the 
oysters, but I am however convinced that the chief 
cause of it rests with the rock fish. 
N». Zl, (Appeared in last nir/ht's issue.) 
22. I annex for facility of reference a tabulated 
fitatement of the pearl banks on which beds of oysters 
have been found, and of their area and estimated 
number of oytiters, also an explanatory note of how 
the estimates have been framed. — I am, &c., 
J. DoNKAN, Inspector of Pearl Banks. 
Tabulated Statement referred to, showing the Name 
of the Banks on which Pearl Oysters were found 
during the Inspection o£ March, 1901, the Area o£ 
NOTE EXPLANATORY OF HOW THE E8TI. 
MATE IS FRAMED. 
The inspection vessel is anchored on the centre of 
the bank, and from it three buoys are laid out noJth 
east, south and west at i male, mile and | mile from 
the vessel, by a steam lauc ch towing a patent log to 
give the distances. Four inspecting boats with crew 
and divers and coxwain in charge range themselves 
between the vessel and the quarter-mile buoy on north 
side, at equal distances apart, the outer or fourth 
boat being close to the buoy . They start on a circuit 
round by east keeping their respective places until 
they return to the starting point. The coxwains ar« 
supplied with diagrams of the three circular lines they 
have to make." They mark on these lines the position 
of each dive that is mide, a;nd note down the natur* 
of the dive, whether on sand y bottom, rocky bottom 
or oysters, each of these ha ving a separate distin- 
guishing mark, and at each d,'ve on oysters the num- 
ber of oysters obtainable to a a ire and the number of 
square yards of bottom surface required to give that 
number of oysters are also noti3d. These particulars 
the coxwains obtain from the divers. When the 
first set of rounds has been made the boats range 
themselves between the qua^rter and half mile 
buoys and complete the second roniid in a similar 
to the first; and then a third similar round is made 
between the half mile and threo-quarter mile buoys, 
so that when the third round is finished twelve 
equidistant circular lines have be« n dived upon over 
a circular space of IJ mile in diameter, which is 
considered a fairly good day's wcrk for the boati 
and divers. 
When the boats come in I transfe r the dives marked 
on each coxswain's diagram to mine, which has a 
circular line for all the tracks of eac h boat, and when 
that is done all the dives that ha(We beeu made on 
