140 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XII, 



November, the majority of the mature fish will safely pass this 

 danger zone. 



If the above suggestions are adopted, I have no hesitation in 

 saying the river will improve as a source of food-supply by leaps 

 and bounds each year. 



The natural feeding (small live food, animalcules, etc.) I found 

 in large quantities all down the river, and it has been naturally 

 increasing as the fish decreased, so that the rate of growth of fish 

 in this river should be rapid. 



THE SIRUVANI RIVER. 



27TH May to 2nd June 1907. 



An ideal stream with large shade trees on both banks, long 

 gravel reaches and deep pools the Siruvani undoubtedly is the best 

 tributary of the Upper Bhavani and as a breeding ground for fish 

 is most valuable. 



During my visit in May and early June, I viewed the river at its 

 lowest as there had been no rain for many months. 



The Gopaneri, a large tributary of the Siruvani, is entirely 

 dried out, but the latter, on the other hand, has a splendid supply 

 of water notwithstanding that all its lower tributaries are in the 

 same dried up condition. 



The flow of water (at this season) where it joins the Bhavani is 

 rather deceptive as the quantity of water is less there than that 

 higher up the river. It is clear that the river loses by evaporation 

 during its winding course and gathers no additional supplies from 

 the dried up feeders. Judging by the flood marks the Siruvani 

 rises to a great height during the wet season and has no natural 

 obstruction to prevent fish passing up to the spawning beds. 



In the more inaccessible deep pools of this river, Carnatic carp 

 can be seen during this dry season in shoals feeding mostly on 

 berries and leaves, — the leaf of the wild mango tree being a great 

 favourite and eaten readily as it falls on the water. I caught 

 several of these fish on the grasshopper and found the contents of 

 their stomachs consisted entirely of vegetable matter. On the 

 banks of nearly all the deep pools in the vicinity of villages, 

 numerous carp scales were to be found, yet in the pools themselves, 

 although very clear, no fish of any size could be seen. Poison is 



