( 37 ) 



it is in irrigated or flooded localities that the fry most abound, 

 and generally Avitli the monsoon rains every little stream and' 

 piece of water is resorted to by them to obtain food in. 13nt 

 by irrigated fields are not here included those irrigated l)y 

 wells, but merely those in communication with running Avater 

 and large tanks. In a large extent of irrigated country, 

 the fields, which are divided off into embanked spaces in 

 (U'dcr to disseminate the water obtained from an irrigation 

 canal, or embanked river or stream, the fry obtain an entrance 

 along Avith the water which is kept at a depth Avhieh suits 

 their puny size ; whilst insect life abounds, cxceptuig birds, 

 they have but few natural enemies but man to contend with. 

 If irrigation is carried on by dipping water out of canals 

 at some depth, and this docs not run off again into any other 

 water-coixrse, the fry of course mnst perish as the Avatcr dries 

 lip. But if the Avater is conducted from field to field, 

 these localities should be excellent nnrsei'ies for young 

 fish, but, as has been observed (para. XXI), they arc now, as a 

 rule, more viseful in destruction than in projtagatioii, as man 

 is alloAved to place trajjs at every outlet (and sometimes at 

 inlets), and destroy all the yonng fish as they drop down- 

 Avards toAvards the larger river. Fry also arc found in 

 al)undancc in sheltered spots at the edges of rivers and in 

 shallow pieces of AA\ater, Avhcrc there is no current to Avash 

 them away, and here an abundance of suitable food exists, 

 but Avhere, as Avill be shoAvn, they do escape the search of 

 the fisherman and man's destructiA^e greed. 



Fisu IN AN Economic Point of Vieav, 

 LIII. Before enquiring into Avhether a Avastcful dcstruc- 

 AViiat proportion of people tiou of fisli takcs placc in India, it will 

 use fish as food. jjy p^g Avcll to obscrvc ujiou tofiat propor- 



tion of 'peofilc in India and Bitrnia itse fish as food, 07' rathe)' 

 can do so iciihont inf 'inning caste prejudices. Amongst the 

 various races inhabiting India and 15ritish Burma, this article, 

 as food, is held in difrerent degrees of estimation, and in 

 proportion to such must be its economic importance. In the 

 Panjab, comparatively but few of the inhabitants are pro- 

 hibited by their religion from consuming iish, but there are 

 many Hindus Avho reject if, as avcU as the rural po2)ulatio)i 

 of some districts. But of those residing in toAvns and in 

 hilly ranges, it appears that, if the Brahmans arc excepted, 

 the consumption of fish is only limited by the paucity of 

 the supply and the cost of the article. The price where fish 



