1910. | J. T. Jenkins: Fish from India and Persia. 139 
American Shad (C. sapidisstma) are now well known! and artificial 
hatching of this fish is extensively practised in the United States. 
Nothing is known of the details of the spawning of the European 
Shad (C. alosa and finta)* or the Indian Hilsa. Recently the ripe 
eggs of the Hilsa have been obtained in the Madras Presidency 
by Mr.-Wilson of the Madras Fisheries, but so far as one can 
ascertain they were not obtained on the natural spawning grounds, 
but at a weir which dammed up the stream and so prevented the 
upward migration of the fish. The diameter of the eggs is not 
given. 
In Bengal it appears that the Hilsa move up the rivers in the 
rains and down towards the sea on their return journey from 
December to February. Spent Hilsa are abundant in Lake Chilka 
in December. Since they are full of roe in the rains and spent 
from December to February, it follows they must have deposited 
their spawn in the rivers. 
Adult fish were examined between the middle of June and the 
8th October. From the 17th to 21st June specimens were obtained 
in the Calcutta markets and examined in the Museum. ‘These fish 
were from Sara Ghat (in the province of Eastern Bengal and 
Assam). The males even at this period of the year had ripe sperm- 
atozoa but no female was obtained either ripe or spent. ggs 
from the females were examined in normal salt solution and 
the diameter of the eggs was found to be 0°5 mm. 
Subsequently visits were paid to Sara Ghat, Rajmahal, Khulna, 
Bagherhat, Monghyr and Kooshtea in the order named and live 
fish were examined and search made as far as practicable, with a 
fine-meshed net, along the banks of the river for the fry of the Hilsa. 
In the following table the diameter of the eggs, and the condi- 
tion of the reproductive organs of the males at each of the above- 
mentioned places is shown :— 
Place: | mate Average diameter of Condition of 
| eggs in mim. testes. 
Sara Ghat se | June 25 a 0°66 fs 
Rajmahal .. | July 5—7 bs 0°6 Ripe. 
Hooghly at Calcutta Aug. 20 aus O'4 as 
Khulna -- | Aug. 23 we 0°59 me 
Bagherhat ae | Atig: 125 ae ae Immature. 
Monghyr Seale D2 2——25) oe 0 68 Ripe. 
Kooshtea .. | Oct. 7—8 ee 0°68 Ripe 
| See J. A. Ryder, Rep. U.S. Fish Comm. for 1885, No. 13, pp. 523—533; 
pls. xiv—xxii, 1887. 
_.> But see P. P. C. Hoek, Tijdschrift d. Nedevlandsche Dievkund. Veveeniging., 
Leiden, 1888, Supplem. deel ii, pp. 313—17, taf. vi, figs. 6—8 (young stages of C. 
alosa), and KE, Ehrenbaum, Wissenschaft. Meevesuntersuch. Anst. Helg., Bd. i, S. 
5463, taf. ii, figs. g—15, 1894. P. P. C. Hoek, Verlag v. d. staat. d. nieder- 
dandische Zeevischeyijen over 1896. Bijlage v. Rapport over het visschen met 
Ankerkuilen bes. p. 290, ff., pls. ii—iv (young of C. alosa and C. finta). 
