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the Himalayas, personal enquiries lead me to believe 

 that only the loaches, Nemacheilus, deposited and hatched 

 their eggs in places where melted snow-water existed; however, 

 no climate appears too hot or too cold for them. The moun- 

 tain barbels, Oreinus, and all non-migratory fish (see para. 

 XXXVIII), breed in small or large streams off the main snow- 

 replenished ones, or even in rivers which contain snow-water 

 in the winter months, as in those around Simla, but such is not 

 present during the breeding season; whilst along with them 

 were likewise many of the little loaches. The parent fishes 

 appear to ascend these side streams with the firstmonsoon floods 

 (see para. XXXVII), and having deposited their ova, to return 

 to the main river as the amount of water diminishes, or their 

 retreat to the rivers of the plains would be cut off. The eggs 

 not hatching in sufficient time for the young to pass down in 

 any quantities to the rivers, the later fry become detained 

 in these side streams until the next floods. Thus, when 

 examining these places just prior to the burst of the S. W. 

 monsoon, thousands were seen in every small rivulet, whilst 

 probably, due to food being scarce, they seem to grow slowly. 

 Consequently for the first year they remain very small, until 

 the monsoon rains enable them to descend to the larger 

 rivers, when with the floods large quantities of food becomes 

 washed down. 



XLVIII. Of the migratory hillfishes, or those which 

 Breeding of migratory hiii ascend for breeding purposes (see 

 fishes- para. VII), the various forms of large 



barbels, Barbus, termed mahaseers, furnish good examples. 

 These fish do not breed in the main snow-fed rivers, but do 

 so in the side streams of the Sub-Himalayan range. On the 

 slopes of the Nilghiris I have observed the same occur, but 

 with this difference, that they can deposit their ova in the 

 main streams there, because they are small and not replen- 

 ished by melted snows. The mahaseers after breeding return 

 to the main rivers, but the young are not generally suffi- 

 ciently grown to descend to the plains. The foregoing ap- 

 pears to be the rule, to which, however, there are numerous ex- 

 ceptions : thus, if the mahaseers are very large, they may have 

 to deposit their ova in rivers near the base of the hills, due to 

 their being unable to ascend higher ; in these cases the young 

 easily find their way into the main rivers of the plains. 

 Mr. Thomas has observed in South Canara that almost the 

 whole of the rain-fall occurs during the S W. monsoon, 

 which commences with June and lasts about four months, 

 and from September the rivers continue steadily to subside 



