FISHING A LAKE. 35 



deposit brought into it for many years, and is not now capable of storing as 

 much water as formerly. The two villages of Morlay are built near the edge 

 of the water-spread, and my bungalow a quarter of a mile from it, on high 

 and dry ground. The embankment of the lake has been raised at various 

 periods to keep pace with the silting, and the bed is now several feet higher 

 than the land irrigated on the lower side of the embankment. Through the 

 embankment at different points run four sluices for drawing off the water 

 to the rice -land below, which aggregates 903 acres, and yields an annual 

 revenue to Government of Es. 4688. These sluices have of late years 

 fallen into partial disrepair ; and from this cause, and the silting up of the 

 bed, the tank now usually runs dry during the hot weather. There are no 

 fish of large size in it, but a great quantity of moderate-sized ones and small 

 fry are caught every year. In January 1874, when the tank had not been 

 dry for five years, and the fish had had time to grow, a large haul was made 

 by the Morlayites. As the water contracted to a very narrow space I 

 caused the tank to be guarded day and night to prevent any villagers, except 

 those who assisted in elephant-catching, from taking fish in it ; and when 

 the water was but two feet deep, and only a few acres in extent, a day was 

 appointed for fishing it. Hundreds of men, women, and children were 

 engaged with all sorts of devices, among which the chief was a basket of the 

 shape of a flower-pot, but without the bottom, about three feet in height, 

 two in diameter at the lower end, and one at the top. These open cylin- 

 ders were merely plumped down upon the bottom, the wider mouth down- 

 wards, on chance, and if a fish were covered it flopped about inside, and 

 was taken out through the top. As the pool was crowded the sport was 

 exciting, and in a few hours many hundredweights were caught. The 

 women and children removed baskets upon baskets of small fry which, suf- 

 focated by the disturbed mud, came to the top floating on their backs, when 

 they were scooped up with sieves. 



Speaking of sluices for drawing off water from lakes, it is remarkable that 

 no contrivance has been introduced in supersession of the somewhat rude 

 plan of old days, which is still in use. This is as follows : A covered 

 masonry culvert runs through the embankment ; at its inner end (that is, 

 the end within the lake) two upright granite slabs are erected, so as to 

 stand above the highest level of the water; they are often twenty-five 

 feet in height. At every six feet or so cross - slabs are placed between 

 them. Through each of the cross - slabs a hole is drilled for guiding 

 a vertical pole which passes through them, and attached to the lower 

 end of which is a wooden plug. This plug fits into a vent in the horizon- 

 tal covering-slab over the mouth of the culvert, and when raised or lowered 



