( 88 ) 



channels in his district, hclongs to the mcrassidars having 

 heen conceded to them in the orders of Government of 

 11th June 1857. The Commissioner of West Bevar, on 

 the other hand (p. ex), says fishing rights do not exist, 

 for under a ryotwari settlement, all fisheries are com- 

 mon property, indeed, helong properly to Government. 

 Einally, a curious legal ohjection to a law regulating 

 the minimum size of the mesh of nets is propounded 

 (p. IxxxiiiJ as folloAvs : — "I do not helicve any Magis- 

 trate would convict except under peculiar circumstances," 

 and as this opinion comes from a gentleman, who, I helieve is, 

 invested with magisterial powers, it deserves attention, as it 

 will hardly he of use framing rules if convictions under such 

 arc uuohtainahle. 



LXXXVIII. Fourthly, that regulations are, unneccs- 



That regulations are uuueces- Sary. Tllis plca is advaUCcd lUldcr 



'■">• numerous heads. Thus, as remarked 



uponhythe Collector of Kurnal (p. Ixxxi) — " if anything could 

 repress tlieir destruction to any extent, it would he the for- 

 hidding to catch fish with roe; hut this Avoukl he tantamount 

 to depriving tlie jieople of a wholesome and pleasant diet, and 

 interfere with the great trafllc in fish-roes that now takes 

 idace." Whilst ohjections exist against prohilnting the sale 

 of the fry of fish as they are more tasty (p. xiv), and that an 

 esteemed delicacy are the fry of large fish (p. Ixxv) ; that 

 temporarily they form an important article of food for a num- 

 l)cr of the poor classes, and stopping such an enjoyment would 

 be a hardship. It would he cruel (p. Ixxxii) to stop the catch- 

 ing of little fish (p. Ixix' That, of course, fishermen will 

 protect them in leased fisheries, elsewhere their destruction 

 is immaterial (p. ccxxii). That regulations are unnecessary, 

 as the fish in districts are valueless, so it does not matter 

 Avhat becomes of them (p. xlvi) ; insignificant, so do not re- 

 (piire protecting (p. Ixxiv). Tliat the supply of fish is said 

 to he inexhaustible in Bellary (p. Ixxix), and their capture 

 requires encouragement, although the tehsildars consider a 

 decrease already apparent, and the demand always greater 

 than the supply (pp. xcvi). That in the Kistna in the 

 Kurnal CoUectorate (p. Ixxxii), " let man use any appli- 

 ances he can think of for taking fish, he will never be able 

 to afiect the supply in any appreciable way as regards 

 this district ;" whilst the Tehsildar of Ramalkota (p. xcvii) 

 remarks of the same river in the same place, " that it is 

 asserted by all the fishermen of whom I have enquired thai 



