10-4 Gram-Fishing for Mahseer. Chapt. viii. 



with a kindly compliment which modesty compels me to omit, 

 that your humble servant " is rather out in his description of the 

 " fishing at Jubbulpore," adding considerately " but then he does 

 " not write from personal experience." He has also been good 

 enough to write the following, which I extract from the " Asian " 

 of 12th October, 1880, together with a suggestion by T. A. B. in 

 the same paper, under date 9th November, 1880. Comment of my 

 own, adjudicating in any way between the informants, I cannot 

 presume to make, for the fishing is such a local one that I cannot 

 be expected to know it personally; still I may not leave it 

 untiientioned, because of the many likely to be interested. 



The mode of fishing for Masheer in the Nerbudda, near Jubbulpore, 

 being peculiar to that place, will no doubt be interesting to some 

 readers of the " Asian." 



I think this is the only place in India where parched gram, called 

 in Hindustani Chabena, is used as a bait ; at least I have not heard of 

 it at any other place. The queer thing about it is that not only 

 is the gram the best bait, but it is the only bait, except dough, 

 which will catch fish. I suppose they have been educated to like 

 gram, and gram they must have, and nothing else. I have tried one 

 thing after another — flies, minnows, frogs, beetles, both natural and 

 artificial, dead and alive, as well as spoons, but the fish will not look 

 at any of them. 



Jubbulpore was my first station in India, and having been 

 aecustomed to salmon fishing in the Dorth of Ireland. 1 was delighted 

 to find that I could still follow my favourite sport in India. 



The river is very easily got at, being only about five miles off; 

 but as it is necessary to procure the bait before proceeding to the 

 river, I think a description of it ought to precede that of the river. 



The simplest way to get the gram is to send to the bazaar for 

 half a seer of fried chain na. I have often tried to parch the gram 

 myself, and though 1 have watched the bunnias doing it, I could 

 never succeed. It is done in hot sand, kept continually moving to 

 prevent it being burnt, but as it is procurable in every village of any 

 size, there is no use trying to make it oneself. When procured, the 

 grain is Been to be loosely covered with the cracked outer .shell ; 

 this has to he removed, and then the gram appears of a yellowish- 

 white shiny colour. A hole has now to he drilled through it, large 



enough for the gut and .shank of the hook to pass tlirouv.li, as the 

 gram is very soft (it can even be crushed between the finger and 



