198 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XII. 



the most determined brute, and will fight till the last gasp for his life, and to 

 illustrate this trait in his character I will, with your permission, relate a true 

 story. 



An old friend of mine, a Captain F- , was out with me one day. He was 



a very keen angler and though the Bahmin gave him every chance, on that 

 occasion he did not manage to creel a single fish. When he came back in the 

 evening he was asked by a guest at dinner how it was that he had got none, 

 and this was how he explained it. He related in the most vivid manner, and 

 with the greatest detail, how he had struck and hooked a monster, and also 

 how he had run him up and down for I don't know how long, and 

 proceeded to say how, on one occasion, when he had ne irly got the iish into 

 his landing-net, the fish opened its mouth, and showed him very plainly 

 the hook, right deeply embedded in its tongue (Bahmin, by the way, 

 have no tongue proper), and then ruslied off and cavorted about again afresh. 

 Things however came to a pass eventually, and my friend led his fish up 

 to the net once more, this time quite certain of victory, when according to 

 his narrative," hey presto! " the Bahmin opened its mouth, and, showing the 

 hook in its tongue once more, winked his left optic and, deliberately biting 

 off his own tongue, left it on the hook for my friend to land, and swam 



away. 



The look of surprise on the guest's face when he heard his explanation 

 can be better imagined than described. Whether he believed him or net 

 I do not know, but I do not think he ever asked him again as to the cause 

 of his non-success. 



On the Coromandel Coast, where there are numberless creeks and 

 backwaters, which are nearly dry every low water, they seem to run in and 

 out every tide all the year round, and almost invariably begin to run 

 very shortly after the tide has made. On both sides of these backwaters 

 for the most part, there are extensive mud flats, swarming with prawns 

 and small deer of sorts, and the fish are on these as soon as ever there is 

 water to float them. They work upwards and onwards until they 

 have satisfied their hunger, and then rusli back to the sea, knowing full well 

 that if they did not when the water receded in many parts, they would be 

 left high and dry ; and therefore, if it is intended to fish these backwaters, 

 the thinf is to be there by low water, as near the bar out to sea as possible 

 and wait there for their appearance. Should they show up, as in nine cases 

 out of ten they will, offer them the prawn at once, right slap on the nose if 

 you can, and watch and follow them up. 



They will generally be found to be advancing a little slower than the tide 

 is making. You must lose no time and must give very little law. Remem- 

 ber that at the outside you will have only about three hours at the most, and 

 you must do all you can in that time ; else, as the creeks fill up and get 

 bigger, you will loose touch with them. This is the general rule with the 



