690 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NA TURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X VIII. 



The posterior sublinguals are subequal to the anterior pair and the fellows 

 quite separated. The ventrals are 216 and obtusely angulate, anal divided 

 and subcaudals, 93, divided. The costals are 21 two heads length behind the 

 head, 21 in midbody, and 15 two heads length in front of the vent; keeled 

 obtusely except in the 3 lowest rows anteriorly, and the lowest posteriorly. It 

 is about 20 inches in length. The colour is like that of paletea and milk. A 

 vertebral series of dark cross bars alternates with a costal series, the spots in 

 the latter being frequently broken into two. Head finely vermiculated and 

 spotted with symmetrically disposed marks. Lips finely mottled anteriorly, a 

 dark black-edged postocular streak passes to the gape. The belly is yellowish 

 finely specked, especially laterally. 



F. WALL. Major, i. m. s., c.m.z.s. 

 Dibrugarh, Assam, 2nd March 1908. 



No. XXVL— CURIOUS BEHAVIOUR OF MAHSEER (BARBUS TOR). 



After many days of fruitless labour in a stream which should have contained 

 a large number of sizeable fish, but which, owing to the unfortunate absence 

 in India of protective legislation, was, as usual, but sparsely populated, my 

 spoon bait was eventually taken. In common with all true fishermen I ex- 

 perienced the exhilaration which accompanies this somewhat rare event, and 

 very quickly realised that I was at one end of a line and a good fish at the 

 other. It is not my object, however, to endeavour to recapitulate the details 

 of a " memorable fight " followed, as it was, by a period of stagnation to which 

 the euphemistic name of "sulking" has been somewhat appropriately applied. 

 By dint of a little manipulation I had got my quarry on terms of comparative 

 intimacy. In other words, he was being gradually and ignominiously hauled 

 along side. The important office of landing was kindly undertaken for me by 

 that well known and keen sportsman in the Southern Maharatta country, Mr. 

 W. W. Coen, while my brother, as a budding amateur, watched events. The 

 fish struck us as remarkably " game " in view of the powerful 15' splitcane 

 steel centre rod in use. As, half drowned, he was brought within view we saw, 

 to our surprise, that the captured fish was not alone ! A companion of about 

 the same size was at his side and it was only the vision of a landing net a foot 

 from the end of its nose, some 5 minutes later, that induced this remarkable 

 companion to disappear. It looked all along just as if the captured fish was 

 receiving that support which a fellow creature much higher in the scale of 

 Natural History has every right to look for, and the circumstance may, 1 hope, 

 be considered sufficiently interesting and unique to deserve this bare record. 

 It is well known that many species of fish are highly gregarious ; but we have 

 yet to learn that they will give all the moral support in their power to a com 

 panion so obviously in distress. 



W. A. WALLINGER, c.m.z.s. 



Camp Kalkeri, Dharwar, March 1th, 1908. 



