206 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vor. VII, 
ANNELIDS. 
NOTES ON THE REARING OF LEECHES IN Mawal, BARA 
BANKI District, UNITED PROovINCcES.—[The leech to which the 
following notes refer has been identified by Mr. W. A. Harding as 
Limnatts (Poecilobdella) granulosa (Sav.) | 
In this part of the country the leeches are abundantly found 
in ponds, streams, 7/ils and marshes but seldom in rivers. 
The class of people who rear leeches are called ‘‘ Chohra”’ and 
this occupation is the sole means of their livelihood. They use 
them for medicinal purposes; whenever any part of the human 
body is inflamed or its blood becomes impure the leeches are 
made use of to suck out the blood from the diseased Patt. thes 
remedy is also prescribed with success in slight cases of blood- 
poisoning by native physicians. 
The breeding season commences in April or May just before 
the beginning of the rains. The breeders pick out a few good 
adult specimens of leeches and put them in a new earthen pot 
with some pieces of a sort of black clay (called here ‘hair-clean- 
ing clay’) with which people generally clean their hair, and sprinkle 
some water just sufficient to keep them wet. ‘This vessel is closed 
and put away in a secluded corner of the house where there is no 
likelihood of any disturbance to the leeches. The breeders are of 
opinion that they do not form cocoons even if a man’s shadow 
falls over them. ‘This is merely putting stress on the fact that 
the leeches will not form cocoons if they are disturbed either by 
the footsteps of man or other accident. ‘To avoid this people in 
certain places take the further precaution of burying the vessel 
containing them underground. Every alternate day the vessel 
is opened and some water is poured in to keep the clay wet. 
In the course of a period which varies from a fortnight to a 
month the breeders find inside the vessel some foamy little whitish 
masses emitted by the leeches which within two or three days 
develop into oval-shaped cocoons, soft and partially transparent. 
As the cocoons get stiff they are carefully picked up and put into 
closed cups made of the clay already in the vessel. This process 
is kept up till all the soft cocoons have become hard and have 
been removed. The cups are changed every alternate day for a 
fortnight, when it is perceived that the young ones have developed 
within them. Then the shells are broken up by the breeders 
themselves in order to help out the weak ones which otherwise 
would die within the shell, not being strong enough to come out 
by themselves. Each cocoon contains five or six young ones. 
The young ones are kept in fresh water which is changed 
morning and evening. This method of changing the water twice 
a day helps them to grow speedily. When the young ones grow 
sufficiently old to be able to suck blood (which is at once found 
out by putting a hand in the water as they rush to catch it) they 
are taken out and placed on some portion of his own body by the 
breeder, and after they have taken in a little blood they are 
removed and put back in the water. They are not allowed to 
