64 
THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
are employed : five of these are brought in each boat for 
the purpose; they are of a reddish granite, common in this 
country, and of a pyramidal shape, round at top and bot- 
tom, with a hole perforated through the smaller end sufficient 
to admit a rope. Some of the divers use a stone shaped like 
a half-moon, which they fasten round the belly when they 
mean to descend, and thus keep their feet free. 
These people are accustomed to dive from their very infancy, 
and fearlessly descend to the bottom in from four to ten fathom 
water, in search of the oysters. The diver, when he is about 
to plunge, seizes the rope, to which one of the stones we have 
described is attached, with the toes of his right foot, while 
he takes hold of a bag of net-work with those of his left; 
it being customary among all the Indians to use their toes 
in working or holding as well as their fingers, and such is 
the power of habit that they can pick up even the smallest 
thing from the ground with their toes as nimbly as an Euro- 
pean could with his fingers. The diver thus prepared, seizes 
another rope with his right hand, and holding his nostrils 
shut with the left, plunges into the water, and by the assist- 
ance of the stone speedily reaches the bottom. Tie then hangs 
the net round his neck, aud with much dexterity, and all 
possible dispatch, collects as many oysters as he can while he 
is able to remain under water, which is usually about two 
minutes. He then resumes his former position, makes a sig- 
nal to those above by pulling the rope in his right hand, 
