154 NATURAL HISTORY. 



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there throughout the year : in potholes under falls, or at spots where 

 springs occur in their beds. 



These are inhabited by characteristic little fishes ; loaches (Nemachili) 

 and mountain carps (Discognathi). There do not seem to be many 

 species. I could only distinguish two loaches and one cyprinoid 

 amongst many hundred specimens collected from every spring and 

 stream in the basin of the Savitri. The cyprinoid seems to have the 

 characters of Dr. Day's Dhcognathis (olim Mayoa) modestus, 

 a species which he bases upon two specimens in the Calcutta Museum, 

 and supposes to belong to Northern India. Lieutenant Beavan 

 remarks on its similarity to his Dicognathxis macrochir. 



One of the loaches is apparently Nemachihrs rupelli ; the other 

 I could not identify. All three seem to live chiefly on green water 

 mosses coating the stones of the streams ; but they are probably pretty 

 omnivorous. They form a sort of Alpine club ; there is no tiniest 

 spring that does not hold them ; and the hillmeri all maintain that 

 they ascend by leaving the rivers during the rains, and literally 

 climbing up the mountain sides at that time streaming with Avater. 



From some experiments that I made, I think that this extraordi- 

 nary statement is probably true. The most remarkable other 

 inhabitants of the Gha't-Mata waters are certain highland periwinkles 

 (Cremnoronchi), whosft resemblance to the Marine Littorinoe (which 

 people buy by the pint and eat with pins) has given rise to conjec- 

 ture that they may be descended from "winkles" that inhabited the 

 Ghats when these were washed by a prehistoric ocean. They seem 

 to sleep in concealment during the dry weathtr, and come out in 

 swarms in the rains, when some of the hillmen collect and eat them. 

 The tiny fishes that I have mentioned, averaging perhaps an inch and 

 a quarter in length, furnish little food ; and accordingly we have 

 here no aquatic mammal aid few birds to notice. The Three-toed 

 Kingfisher (Ceyx tridactyla) is the most characteristic. Halcyon 

 Uucocephalm and smyrnensis occur, and probably the rare H. 

 pile ta and chloris. Alcedo hengalensis is common ; and perhaps 

 Alcedo beavani may be found hereafter. 



The ubiquitous Paddy-bird and u Did-ye-do-it," and the smaller 

 Sand-pipers, frequent the streams ; and the few and small tanks are 

 used as resting-places by migrating Ducks and Teal. 



The rivulets of the Konkan-Gha't-Ma'ta fall over the black cliffs of 

 the Ghats in innumerable cascades, separated by the terraces which 

 run along the face of the mountains. Down to about 500 feet above 



