Ixxvii 



irrigation season. Ddulitlcss, tcmporaiy I;h1(1('1>; iiiiL;Ii( \>v (iiiiiiod (o 

 allow llic (isli In ]);iRS over tlic anient. ; linl dnvinf^ llie inoni lis of Noven)- 

 lier, December, and .lannary astoiiebnnd is ]il;ieed aeross tlio anient., and 

 water, as tar as possible, jirevented from llowinfr over the anient. It lins 

 been .suj^'Ljcsted to me tliat Government slionld institnic an establisliinont 

 lo catch tiie tish below the anient and place them in the river above." 

 'I'lic Acting Collector (November 12th, 18()7) continues, "shoidd Govern- 

 ment approve of the ])roposals for conservancy of Messrs. Stnnrt and 

 Viba.rt., I have t.lio honor to ie(|nest that saiietioii for a snm of not more 

 than Its. ;2t)0 may be yiven lor the pnrpose." 'Y\w Aladrnx Itcvcnuc 

 Hoard (January 28lli, 1S(58) observe, " the Monrd are inclined, however, 

 rather to favor the plan proposed by IMr. Stnrirt * *, namel}-, the eritei- 

 lainmcntof an estaijli.shment of fishermen, for catcliing- the Jisii below 

 the anient and ])nttin<jf them in n^'iiin above." The Collector of the 

 (loihwcri IJiitrict (Febrnary 7tli, 18C8) continnes, " I do not think tin- 

 idea of employing- fishermen to catch spawning fish below the anient and 

 put them into the river above it a good one. 1 think that the lisli 

 \vill very probably' be injured in so doing." The Madras Govcnnnciil 

 (Ma)'' 27th, 1808) observe, "the ]iroposal to ein)iJoy an eslnblishment of 

 fishermen t.o transfer (ish from below to iibove the anieuldocs not com- 

 mend il,self to the judgment of Government." I reported (Ueeember Ist, 

 1868) on those hcrring.s, which die almost as soon as they are removed 

 from the water: "at the Kistna is no bridge across the anient, and 

 fishing must be carried on for at least 251) yards l)elow that struct ine ; 

 therefore, the fisli would have to be eajitnred, landed, and carried nji above 

 the anient. Doubtless, some would survive the process if a sullieient 

 number were taken, but the ova would be injured, and probably almost 

 irretrievably so. For anj-tliing to succeed it must be a natiiial pass." 

 'Vhii Revenue Board (Deecmbcr 18th, 180!)) direct tliiit "Collectors of 

 Godaveri, Kistna, and Tanjiir will take measures for jiassing a certain 

 number of lish over the auicuts by netting them in tiio manner pro[)ose(l 

 by Lieutenant Vibart." The Officiating Collector of the Kistna District, 

 (November 10th, 1808) observes, that the inirodnction of the system 

 of renting out the lislieries should be gradual, so as f,o avoid causing 

 b;irdshi[) to those who have iiitherto enjoyed the rights ol' (ishiiig 

 without restriction. The meshes of the nets in use are from one lo two 

 inches in cireunifercnee, and the fishermen assert that l.irger meshes will 

 not take most of the fresh-water lish. [This is an error, as the great 

 m.ajority of the fish iu the Kistna river attain to a large size, 

 :dthougli seeing those as now captured, one would be led to 

 sujijiose tiiey could never grow largo. There arc not above two sorts 

 of all the siluroids or se;ileless lish, wliich at six or eight niontlis 

 of age would go through a mesh of four inches in circumference, 

 and some of those whose fry I witnessed being taken in tlie Kistna attain 

 several feet in length. The same remark ajiplies to most of the carjis, 

 i\ list of 38 species which I collected in that district exists in Proceed- 

 ings, Madias Governmeut, February 4th, 18C9. TUc Jfead Assistant in 

 June 18C9 rep(nted, " no doubt here, as iu other districts, there is 

 much destruction of young fish b^' the use of nets with small meshes.""] 

 lie continues that in the district all channels and tanks diy up in the 

 hot weather; consetpiently even those larger kinds of lish can only 



