'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part II. J G Lorimer. 1915' [‎2224] (741/1262)

2224
this rule be correct; the majority of the bivalves brought to the
by divers in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. are over two years of age, and a large
number are over three years.
The movements of the oyster are entirely uncertain, defying forecast J
thus in the season of 1876 nearly every pearl boat in the Gulf was riding
in the vicinity of the Shah Alum shoal and a magnificent haul of oysters
was obtained in a very restricted area, while in the following year the same
locality—contrary to the expectations of the divers—proved almost barren.
It is known that in the G ulf the oysters sometimes suffer severely from
submarine disturbances, accompanied by the emission of gases and bitu
minous products; this was notably the case in 1900, when the sea in
places on the Arab banks was reddish and turbid and the oysters on some
of the beds were found to be dead or diseased and produced no pearls.
The notion that the Arabs feed the oyster beds at certain seasons of
the year is erroneous; nor is the oyster itself often eaten, except by the
natives of Trucial ^Oman.
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Pearls.
The classical word for a pearl in Arabic is Lulu^J^J (plural, Laali ^
and in Persian Marwarid ; but the term in common use all over
the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. is Qumashah (plural, Qumash )•
byssus is formed of material secreted by a special gland and the foot js used to bung
each strand, as it is moulded or cast, into contact with the point selected oi
fixation. The byssus hardens on contact with sea water, and its colour cMBg 0 ®
within 48 hours from a pale almost transparent yellow to an opaqne and
bronze-green. The animal can at any time let go the inner end of_ the
where the strands are fused into one, and it frequently does so when it is unab e
find a place with which it is thoroughly satisfied ; a specimen under observation^
Galle changed its position 7 times and formed a bjssus no less than 8 times i ^
fortnight, the byssus on one occasion consisting of 9 strands. The adult oys e ^
very sensitive to light and shade, and will close up even in a depth of 9 tatncms
consequence of a shadow passing over the surface of the sea ; its movemen
from fear of predaceous animals, are mostly performed during the hours oi dai >
and are discontinued if an artificial light is brought to bear.
The animal can release itself from a covering of sand not exceeding inC V
but, if buried to a depth of 3 inches, it is helpless and dies. The shifting ^
caused by monsoon or storm currents, is undoubtedly the cause of many (iisas raI]Ce
oyster colonies, and it was probably an important factor in the total msappe ^
from the Periya Paar in Ceylon, between March and November 1902, of a num
young oysters computed at no less than a hundred thousand millions. ^ ^
The principal enemies of the oyster are voracious fishes, chiefly ia J® R ^ r w jtli
fishes, the former of which can apparently crush the shell of the adult
their teeth ; boring gastropod mollusca ; boring sponges, which sometimes ^ ^ ;
the shell of the adult oyster so rendering it an easier prey for fish; boring
starfishes; lamellibranch mollusca, which smother the animal; crabs ana
fishes ; and, finally, associated animals such as corals, barnacles and Bpoug. es » ^
adbere to the shell and, mechanically or by competition for food, cause in3 u J
even death.
Other causes of mortality among oysters are overcrowding, which i^^Sj the
nutrition and growth j also, possibly, the opposite evil of over -fishing by wn ^
stock left for breeding may be too greatly reduced. Diseases due to paras"
probably epidemic and assisted by overcrowding, also claim many yictim 8 '