( G5 ) 



limy do in siicli a way that scarcely anything can cscapo 

 Iho traps set in the clam." In British 13urma, at Bassein 

 (p. ccxxiii), "young fish are captured to a considerahle 

 extent l)y traps in the paddy-fields :" in fiict, fishing AA'cirs 

 and traps are universally employed in tliis province, and of 

 innumcrahle descriptions, whilst miniature ones were per- 

 mitted in every small stream, ii-rigatiug channel or water- 

 way to entrap fisli ascending, and so finely conslrncled tliat 

 oven fry coidd not pass. I found agriculturisls with as 

 many as 60 or 80 traps in their possession, and working 

 (hem daily in every water-way whore ingress or egress for 

 fish could occur (sec p. cxlviii). In short, trapping hreeding- 

 fish and fry is universal, wherever permitted, and uowhcre is 

 it prohibited. 



Moveable Fishing Implements. 



LXVIII. Nets or moveable implements (in contradis- 



WovcaWo engines for taking tiuctioU to thoSC wllicll ar(! fixcd), 



Rsi'- employed in capturing or facilitating 



the capture of fish, are comjiosed of two varieties— (1) thoso 

 inanufactm-ed of cotton, hemp, aloe fibre, coir, or of some such 

 material, and (2) others constructed of split bamboo, rattan, 

 reed, grass or other more or less inelastic snhtances. 



LXIX. Large drag-nets with fair-sized meshes are used 

 , ^ , ,. , . , mostly during the dry months, and 



Composed of emstic uititcrmls. , " irji /.i. 



employed lor the purpose of elcarmg 

 out the fish from pools in rivers to which they have retired, 

 awaiting the next year's .floods. Thus, in the Godaveri" 

 (p. xlvii), they are remarked upon as 100 yards long : in the 

 Kistna as 3 to 400 yards long (p. Ixxvi), their length and 

 depth being in accordance with the waters they are going to 

 be employed in. J3ut the moveable nets that do the most 

 injury are those with small meshes, and which are employed 

 for taking the fry pf fish as they are first moving about. If 

 one just refers to the appendix to tliis report, we cannot but 

 observe how such are most wastcfuUy destroyed all over the 

 country ; this is accomplished with cast-nets of fine meshes, 

 small wall-nets dragged up little water-courses, purse-nets 

 similarly used; even sheets are thus employed. It has been 

 pointed out, however, that some fish never grow to any size, 

 consequently they will escape if nets with small meslics are 

 ])rohibitcd, and a very good idea has been propounded (hat 

 if such is the case, let them be cap( lU'cd after the month of 

 October, so that the majority of (he fry have become more 

 able to take care of themselves, lu Madras, the Ilcvcuue 



