cxliii 



1870, we find as follows regarding the times closures occurred, with 

 reference to the number of days — 



From to 10 days, 238 times. 



10 to 20 „ 31 „ 



„ 20 to 30 „ 12 „ 



„ 30 to 40 „ 3 „ 



„ 40 to 50 „ 3 „ 



In the Ganges canal slaughtering all the fish, whenever it was 

 closed, was carried on when I was there, the numbers of times and the 

 days such has occurred during the last 15 years being as follows : — 



5 years ending December 31st, 1860. 

 5 „ ,, 1865 



5 „ „ 1870 



Thus, in round numbers, this canal during the last five years has 

 had six times more days without water than in the first five years under 

 review ; whilst the period of time it has been kept dry have risen as 

 follows : — 



1st 5 years — No. of days dry at each closure, 9 

 2nd 5 „ „ „ „ 15 



3rd o ,, „ „ ,. 23 



316. We now come to the fixed engines permitted to exist in 



these provinces, as shown by the local civil 

 Fixed engines for capturing officerg> First ns hing-weirs spanning hill- 

 or destroying fish, as well as i • i -i jj ,- 



damming streams, &c. streams, up which large carps are attempting 



to ascend to breed. In those of Kumaon 

 (see para. 330) "practically it requires a very clever fish to go up for 

 breeding purposes, and return to the point started from uninjured ! for 

 it has to cross and re-cross several of these weirs, both on its journey up 

 and down streams/'' Again in Gurwal, " the rivers are so dammed up 

 bv weirs made on purpose to catch fish, that they cannot always ascend 

 to their spawning grounds, and fall an easy prey to the people who are 

 on the watch for them.''' " Weirs me erected as soon as the monsoon 

 begins to cease, and they remain in existence till carried away in the 

 first flood in the rains. They are placed usually at the tail of each 

 pool, and there is almost always one at the junction of two rivers, thus 

 entirely preventing fish running up till the weir is carried away by a flood. " 

 Then in the plains, as the yearly floods begin to subside, when the fish 

 which have bred, and the young which have been raised, try to obtain an 

 exit to the rivers with 'the falling waters — what is it that is done? 

 Weirs are constructed across the little streams which are the natural drains 

 into the rivers down which they are striving to go ; thus, it is stated at 

 Bustee (para. 331) that "fish are killed more or less throughout the 

 year, but the largest numbers are taken towards the end of the rainy 

 season. As the waters fall, countless lakes or pools of all sizes are 

 formed on the low lands by the rivers. Those wdiich were during the 

 floods mere extensions of the stream, now become lakes with one narrow 

 exit to the river. Across this, nets are stretched or a weir of grass 

 constructed, and every fish that has wandered up becomes a certain prey, 

 being either caught at the weir, or left exposed as the waters fall. The 

 same process takes places on a smaller scale in every field that is under 



