( n2 ) 



tlio ITiinalaj'as, personal enquiries lead me to believe 

 iliat only the loaelies, Ncmucheilus, deposited and lialelied 

 their cgys in plaees where aielted snow-water existed ; howevei-, 

 no ^climate appears too hot or too cold for them. The moiui- 

 tain barbels, Oreinus, and all non-migratorij fish (sec para. 

 XXXVIII), breed in small or laryc streams ui\ the main snow- 

 rcphniished ones, or even in rivers whieh eontaiu snow-water 

 in the winter months, as in those aronnd Simla, but such is not 

 jiresent dnring the brcedin*^ season; whilst along with them 

 Avcre likewise many of tlie little loaches. The parent iishes 

 appear to ascend these side streams with the first monsoon floods 

 (sec para. XXXVII), and having deposited their ova, to return 

 to the main river as the amount of water diminishes, or their 

 retreat to the rivers of the plains would be cut off. The eggs 

 not hatching in sufficient time for the young to pass down in 

 any quantities to the rivers, the later fry become detained 

 in these side streams until the next floods. Thus, when 

 examining these places just prior to the burst of the S. W. 

 monsoon, thousands were seen in every small rivulet, whilst 

 probably, due to food being scarce, they seem to grow slowly. 

 Consequently for the first year they remain very small, until 

 the monsoon rains enable them to descend to the larger 

 rivers, when with the floods large quantities of food becomes 

 Avashed down. 



XLVIII. Of the migratory liillfishes, or those whieh 

 nieeding of migratory hill asccud for breeding purposes (see 

 fisi'08. para. VII), the various iorins of large 



barbels, Barhiis, termed inahaseers, furnish good examples. 

 These iish do not breed in the main snow-fed rivers, but do 

 so in the side streams of the Sub-IIimalayaii range. On the 

 slopes of the Nilghiris I have observed the same occur, but 

 AA'ith this difference, that they can deposit their ova in the 

 main streams there, because they are small and not replen- 

 ished by melted snows. Tlie mahaseers after breeding return 

 to the main rivers, but the young are not generally sutfl- 

 ciently grown to descend to the plains. The foregoing ap- 

 pears to be the rule, to which, however, there are numerous ex- 

 ceptions: thus, if the manaseers are very large, they may have 

 to deposit their ova in rivers near the base of the hills, due to 

 their being unable to ascend higher ; in these cases the young 

 easily find their way into the main rivers of the plains. 

 Mr. Thomas has observed in South Canara that almost the 

 whole of the rain-fall occurs diu-ing the S W. monsoon, 

 which commences with June and hists about four moiilhs, 

 and from September the rivers continue steadily to sulj.sidf 



