Cha.pt. xvn. Manner of Spinning for Polynemus. 203 



you a day. Other small silvery tish will, of course, do for bait, 

 " but the mullet is decidedly the best, being the favourite food of 

 "the Bahmeen, and being also very tough and lasting, bearing the 



i ti< m in these latter qualities to other tish, ; 



"gudg i does to a bleak or a small dace. Should there beany 



"difficulty in procuring baits at any particular spot, small mullet 

 "or other tish can be preserved for a short time, in a wide-mouthed 

 "bottle of spirits of wine or methylated spirits. I have several 

 " times used baits thus prepared, while Bahmeen fishing, and found 

 "them answer very well. Baits do not get soft in methylated 

 " spirits, and their toughness is very well preserved. 



" Having now mentioned rods, tackle, and baits, I now turn to 

 " the actual capture of the tish. 



" As I have already said, when the tide steadies into a regular 

 " stream, you will, if standing on a bridge, soon see the mullet, and 

 " other small tish, darting in different directions, and the IJahmeen 

 '■ dashing after them. Commence spinning at one end of the bridge, 

 " by throwing out as much line as you can control; let the bait 

 " trail, and spin in the water, anil be careful to spin well over those 

 its where you have seen fish rising. Hold your rod with both 

 " hands across your chest, with the point rather elevated, and with- 

 •■ out m airing another cast, walk at such a pace as will keep the 

 '• bait spinning nicely, to the other end of the bridge. And now 

 ■ lines the question, which is the best side of the bridge to fish 

 " from. This is an important point. The best side of the bridge 

 " is that towards which the stream is running, the reason being that 

 " mullet always work up against the stream, and the Bahmeen 

 " always lie in wait for them, on that side of the bridge towards 

 " which the stream runs, so that as the shoals of young mullet toil 

 " -lowly up against the tide, and make their way through the arches 



" of the bridge, they fall an easy prey to the I'almieeli which 

 ' are lying in wait for them, and hiding behind the piers ami piles 

 ■he bridge, on the other side. When there are a large number of 

 " fish about, they can be i on both sides of the bridge ; but the 



" ride I have given as regards what I may call the stream side should 

 " be adhered to." 



This is Colonel Osborn's view. I am not prepared to contradict 

 it. But my own idea is that the mullet fry go with the tide both 

 in and out, and that the Pa-min hide or rest behind the piles as 



