72 How, When, and When to Fish for Mahseer. (ham. vi. 



by continuous pursuit, but sometimes, as in efforts to catcli birds, 

 it steals up and makes a pounce like a cat. I liave known a pair 

 of dogs beat a hedge in this way, one on each side. The cat, too, 

 and the tiger are not absolute in their ways. At times they will 

 follow up their prey in hot pursuit, and tigers will also drive their 

 prey, as L. J.'.s Mahseer drove theirs, into a place where it may be 

 taken at advantage, Tigers will post one of their number in a 

 gorge for others to drive towards. Some friends of mine found 

 themselves being thus quietly edged up. Wild dogs and wolves 

 will thus beat towards their ambushed fellows, yet it will not be 

 objected to that it is the generally accepted view, and it will be 

 admitted as a fair description, that the wild dog and the wolf capture 

 their prey by hunting it down, the cat and the tiger by surprising 

 it. In like manner, I think, I may hold to my description of the 

 manner in which the Mahseer captures its prey as a right one, 

 L T.'s manner being the exception, which, however, it is interest in _' 

 to know and note. In connection with remarks on striking I 

 have myself noted a pertinacious hot pursuit of the bait by 

 Mahseer ; nevertheless, I did apt think it the rule when the prey 

 is moving rapidly. Trout will also chase small fish in the 

 shallows, but their rule is rather to watch for what the stream 

 brings within reach of the station which they have taken up. 



While it is comforting, therefore, to know that the Mahseer 

 may sometimes hotly pursue your bait a long way, even though 

 spun too rapidly, it is better to trust to slow spinning, so as to give 

 him an easier opportunity. 



Furthermore, there are more or less educated Mahseer, a> there 

 are highly educated trout. Much fished trout, it will be admitted, 

 require to be fished for with finer tackle, and less obvious hunks, 

 as well as with greater skill than do others. Similarly there are 

 unsophisticated Mahseer, dwelling in uninhabited wilds, that are 

 capturable with ease by almost any fisherman; while there are 

 others that have learnt caution from their growing acquaintance 

 with "that arch deceiver man," and have to he fished fox with more 

 care and more knowledge. Such fish, especially the larger, older, 

 and more experienced ones, are more constantly on the !<>"k out 

 for man, more suspicious, and more intelligent in their criticism. 

 I have heard say, that once upon a time there dwelt in lair Thames 

 a trout so much fished for with all sorts of tackle, and grown so 



