176 Tlie Murral. C'iiapt. xiv. 



very nearly missed his fish in consequence; but just a touch had 

 been sufficient on the head, whereas a flesh wound would not 

 have secured the fish, unless it had been so central as to break 

 the back-bone. If you aim at the head you may even miss 

 your fish, and the concussion of the water will stun him, if 

 you have gone close to him. I am told they sink when killed, or 

 stunned, as I should suppose they would. You must, therefore, 

 have a man ready to go in after them at once. 



But if you go in for fish shooting, and I would not call it 

 poaching in India, you must allow for refraction. Refraction 

 makes the fish appear nearer to the surface than it is — you should 

 therefore aim below it; your ball also has a tendency not to 

 pursue a direct course under water, but to glance upwards — 

 another reason for aiming low. Furthermore, your ball will not 

 take to the water kindly at all, will not do business far under the 

 surface. I think a foot under water is the utmost distance at 

 which you can trust it to be effective. 



But to return to the rod and line. The Murral may be spun 

 for with the same bait and tackle as has been recommended for 

 Mahseer, except that it is well to substitute gimp for gut, because 

 of his mouth being full of teeth. I have sometimes had my gut 

 provokingly cut by them. 



By reason of the Murral keeping mainly to the still deep pools, 

 it can also be fished for with a live bait by those who prefer that 

 mode of fishing. A single, gimp hook of about No. 0, 1£, 1, or 2 of 

 Limerick size, shown in my Plate,* will then be the thiug ; and 

 you had best have also a float, cork, or bung, too big for your bait 

 to take under, and, if you like, a shot or two, as generally 

 recommended to keep your bait down : but as Murral are 

 frequently at the surface I do not think this is necessary. 

 Indeed, I would say fish close to the surface, as Murra] feed largely 

 on frogs, for which you may frequently see them roaming about 

 near the surface. 



A good reason for fishing near tin' surface, in preference to 

 fishing deep, is to be found in the position of the Mu rial's eye, 

 which is placed very high in the head, and is calculated for 

 looking upwards rather than downwards; so that a Murral, even 



* When quoting sizes to your tnckle-muki r, remember the cnution given at 

 page 94. 



