( 55 ) 



places wherein to deposit their eggs : they likewise slaughter 

 the young fish by every simple contrivance when they begin 

 to move about, and thus extensive damage to fisheries is 

 occasioned. To all persons possessing fisheries, the protec- 

 tion of these young fish should be an object, so that in due 

 season they may be able to recapture a remunerative number 

 of adults : but seeing the fry generally destroyed, and aware 

 that if they do not take when they can what they are able, 

 as others are not so particular, they unfortunately often join 

 in this suicidal occupation, thus assisting in the depopulation 

 of fisheries, and, when too late, lament the state of affairs, but 

 never admit that it is in a great measure owing to their greed, 

 whilst the idea of their destruction they philosophically con- 

 sider must affect the rising and not the present generation. 

 Even when there are no restrictions, nor rent to be paid, 

 fishermen after a time often discover the advantage of plying 

 their occupation in concert, especially with other fishermen. 

 It is by no means unfrequent for large bodies of villagers to 

 proceed at certain seasons of the year to rivers which can 

 be easily bunded, and there to kill every fish they are able. 

 Amongst all the foregoing classes of fishermen, amongst 

 every caste and creed, the invariable rule appears to obtain, 

 to get everything they are able to-day, irrespective of the 

 season, condition, or size of the fish, and entirely oblivious 

 to the next year's supply. I do not, however, see that the 

 natives, in acting thus, are more rapacious than fishermen 

 have been or would be in England, were the fresh-water 

 fisheries declared public property, and every one permitted 

 to work them in any way he pleased, without any sort of 

 restrictions being imposed. It becomes simply a scramble 

 on the principle — " Should I not catch them, somebody else 

 will." Neither do I think the fishermen, as described, are 

 more greedy than persons following other occupations : thus, 

 it is stated by Colonel Campbell, respecting the Orissa 

 range of hills : — " Of the science of agriculture the people 

 know absolutely nothing ; they exhaust the soil with unin- 

 termitted crops until the land is barren, then they abandon 

 their fields, and clear fresh jungle for future crops." The 

 fishermen are not more far-seeing than the forester or 

 the agriculturist, thinking of only to-day's wants, regardless 

 of to-morrow's requirements ; they only carry out, when 

 able, in the rivers the same description of misapplied energy, 

 until nothing but small fish remain, and the young have to 

 be raised from ova deposited by parents of two or at the 



