16 NATURAL HISTORY. 



The Barbels, so far as they have a choice, prefer comparatively 

 rapid waters, and are in this country mostly omnivorous. The 

 typical Mahseer (Barbus tor) is not, to the best of my knowledge, 

 found here, but is represented by a fish I have doubtfully identified 

 as the gold-finned Barbel (B. pinnauratus), which grows to about 

 10 lbs. weight, perhaps more, and as a sporting fish, is quite 

 equal to any Mahseer, weight for weight. Here, as elsewhere, the 

 live-bait is the most killing fashion of angling for barbel, and I 

 have had no success with spinning-baits, and have not tried the fly 

 in the Konkan. I do not think it would be found effective for the 

 larger fish, but probably a good many of the smaller Cyprinoids, 

 as Basbora danicomius and the Chelas, and the fresh water Gar-fish 

 mentioned on a former page could be taken with a light trout rod 

 and midge flies, especially if bright coloured. 



But the fresh water angling of the Konkan is, on the whole, poor. 

 The lowlands are nearly all under rice, and in the rains every 

 rice- field is a fish-trap, and every stream studded with weirs. The 

 fish that go up to spawn seldom return alive, and the fry are 

 taken in thousands, and serve to eke out the scanty meals of the 

 labourers. Within my own memory, the few waters where tolerable 

 angling could be had have greatly fallen off, and the stock seems to 

 be only kept up by the inhabitants of a few more or less sacred 

 pools and tanks. 



Some of these are well stocked. In one, particularly, I have 

 seen huudreds of sacred barbel come together to be fed. All were, 

 apparently, of one species ; and similarly another sanctuary seemed 

 to be mostly inhabited by cat-fishes, which must have lived chiefly 

 on each other, had it not been for the offerings of good Hindus. 

 As it is, I suspect that they supplemented their charitable allowance 

 by cannibalism. 



The natives believe that even the otter and osprey respect these 

 pools, and that the only European who had so little sense and good 

 taste as to fish them, not only failed, but died of fever. I must say 

 that he deserved the failure, but the fever was more than one could 

 wish him. 



The Cyprinidce proper are exclusively fresh water fish, but some 

 naturalists class with them the Herrings, Sprats, and Shads (Glwpeidm) , 

 which come next in our classification. These are mostly sea-fishes ; 

 a few live exclusively in fresh water, and most of these will take a 

 a midge fly, but as they like deep and still waters (though living 



