54 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XI, 



almost unbearable ; when this occurs they state that the poisonous 

 influence increases and fishes of kinds not afl"ected during the first 

 onset of the poison, die and are cast ashore. They agree fairly 

 generally instating that sardines are seldom affected in any quan- 

 tity, but some men have told me that on two or three occasions, 

 separated by long intervals, they have seen widespread sardine 

 mortality from this cause ; in these cases the sea was covered for 

 miles with dead and dying sardines in enormous multitudes. 



The men's explanation of the cause of this foul and poisonous 

 water, which they term indifferently Karanir (shore-water) and 

 Sen-nir (red-water) in North Malabar, and Karanir, Se/i/iir and 

 Kediinir (bad-water) at Calicut, is simple and unvarying. One 

 man's statement as taken down at the time is characteristic of all ; 

 according to him, Kcdioiir is the product of freshwater brought down 

 by rivers; it runs into the sea and as it will not mix with sea- 

 water, it stagnates in the heat of the sun, and gradually becomes 

 stinking and of a red {sic) colour, something like brandy or tea 

 without milk. Like brandy, too, it intoxicates all fish that drink 

 it and after a time they die. All fish that enter the Kcdiinir first 

 become stupefied and then die ; if the Kcdunir beats upon rocks the 

 fish and crabs that live there will also die. Even big bamin 

 {Polyncmiis spp.) and Kora {Sciacna spp.) have been affected, but 

 those that usually die are small fish such as young kora (jew-fish), 

 manthal (soles), malan (mullet) and etta (catfishes), also crabs. 

 Sardines die during certain seasons but generally they are careful 

 to avoid coming into this Kcdii/iir. From this belief that the latter 

 is consequent upon the mingling of river with saltwater, is due the 

 name sometimes applied of Iriiuir or " double water." 



Among Europeans various hypotheses have been current, based, 

 so far as I know, upon no solid ground of serious investigation — 

 mere guesses in fact. Among the more plausible of these may be 

 mentioned {a) sufi'ocation by excessive mud in suspension in the 

 water, and (/;) the emission into the sea by rivers of large volumes 

 of putrid water derived from the pits wherein coconut husks are 

 soaked for long periods preparatory to the extraction of fibre, and 

 also by the emptying or overflowing of rice fields in which 

 vegetable matter is allowed to putrefy for manure.^ 



My investigation disproves all these theories. That of the 

 fishermen is easily negatived, for in every case (and they were 



' Day, F, " Land of the Perumauls," p. 417. 



