clxvi 



to (lie 03111:15 in tlie Oogrn.speciiil eonsorvative oustoms prevail. From 

 I\Iay to Sei)toniljor is rcgavduil as ;i close season, aiul all lisliing- liy nets 

 is abaudoned, it may be because impracticable/" fit" this gentleman's 

 statements were thus tested, I fear that he would soon ascertain some 

 error must have occurred, viz., fishing' in the Gogra to be prohibited from 

 !May to September, and when such is permitted, all nets to have a mesh 

 of 4 inches between each knot. He holds, if fry are eaten, capturing- 

 them is not waste, aUlioiigh " the fry and fish by any and every way 

 obtained are all consumed, and are not in excess of the need of the 

 people;" if so, it must be " waste" to destroy so much young life. What 

 would be considered of such .lu argument as this — "a nation of savages, 

 who possess large herds of cattle and live on animal food, find it 

 becoming scarce, yet they eaf all their young lambs and infantile calves." 

 Would common sense not think such waste? The only analogy I can see 

 to such arguments as are adduced, would be what an Andamanese mighf 

 bring forward, as they cut down trees to obtain the fruit, regardless of 

 next yeai's supply. Are we to take them as our model?] 



332. The Cummissioner of J/iuusi (May Srd, 1872) observed — that 



the district of Jalom possesses no lakes. 

 Opinions of European Officials ^nd the only river is the Jumna. In the 

 lu the Jhiinsi Uivisiou. t ii i r . • i. i.i 1 i 1 • 1 



Lullutpur district the only streams winch 



contain fish of any size are the Betwa, Sujad, Sujnam and Jumnee, 

 and their beds are, as a rule, too rocky to admit of the use of large 

 nets ; indeed, these rivers appear to be but little fished — the Dheeniurs 

 and very lowest classes ulone living on the produce. There is little, 

 if an)', wasteful destruction; thq real enemies of the fish are the croco- 

 diles, otters, and fresh-water sharks which abound in the largest and 

 deepest pools. At present no rules for the preservation of fish arc 

 necessary: the population is scanty and scattered. Great numbers of fish 

 are undoubtedly killed during the spawning season in the small streams 

 and feeders to the lakes when they should not be disturbed. It might 

 prove advantageous elsewhere to jirohibit I'iver-fishing from June to 

 October as suggested by INIr. Sturt, but it is not necessar}' in Bundiecuiul 

 where fish cannot be said to form the staple food of any class of the 

 people, save the Dheemurs, and they are not a numerous body. Tin 

 Dcputij Gommissioner of Jalom (May 7tli, 1872) reported : — " Breeding- 

 fish and very young ones are indiscriminately caught, and very youni^ 

 ones destroyed to a great extent. This destruction goes on at all 

 seasons by netting, weirs, &e. Meshes of dilTereiit sizes are used, but 

 the usual mesh is about a quarter of an inch." The difiicuUy in regula- 

 ting the minimiun size is that such " would revolutionise all ideas of nativi 

 fishermen on the subject, and meet, therefore, with much opposition." Tin 

 Deputy CoiiniiisisioHer of LulhUpur (December 27th, 1871) remarked, — 

 "All the information I have been able to collect tends to show tluH 

 fish is not an article of diet sought for or used at all generally b\ 

 the inhabitants of the district ; that where it is so used, it is amongst 

 the lowest classes, such as Chumars, Dheemurs, &c." "The rivei 

 Uetwa and its tributaries, viz., the Jumnee, Sujnam and Sujad are om 

 fish-containing rivers. In all but the last, there are large quantities 01 

 mahaseer of all sizes, but these, 1 may say, are literally never caught 

 unless it be a dozen or so yearly by European oflicers with rod and line 



