clxvi 



to the fishing in the Gogra, special conservative customs prevail. From 

 May to September is regarded as a close season, and all fishing by nets 

 is abandoned, it may be because impracticable/'' [If this gentleman's 

 statements were thus tested, I fear that he would soon ascertain some 

 error must have occurred, viz., fishing in the Gogra to be prohibited from 

 May to September, and when such is permitted, all nets to have a mesh 

 of 4 inches between each knot. He holds, if fry are eaten, capturing 

 them is not waste, although " the fry and fish by any and every way 

 obtained are all consumed, and are not in excess of the need of the 

 people /' if so, it must be " waste" to destroy so much young life. What 

 would be considered of such an argument as this "a nation of savages, 

 who possess large herds of cattle and live on animal food, find it 

 becoming scarce, yet they eat all their young lambs and infantile calves." 

 Would common sense not think such waste ? The only analogy I can see 

 to such arguments as are adduced, would be what an Andamanese might 

 bring forward, as they cut down trees to obtain the fruit, regardless of 

 next year's supply. Are we to take them as our model ?] 



332. The Commissioner of JJmnsi (May 3rd, 1872) observed that 

 the district of Jalom possesses no lakes, 

 and the only river is the Jumna. It, the 

 ljullutpur district the only streams which 

 contain fish of any size are the Betwa, Sujad, Sujnam and Jumnee, 

 and their beds are, as a rule, too rocky to admit of the use of large 

 nets ; indeed, these rivers appear to be but little fished the Dheemurs 

 and very lowest classes alone living on the produce. There is little, 

 if any, wasteful destruction ; the real enemies of the fish are the croco- 

 diles, otters, and fresh-water sharks which abound in the largest and 

 deepest pools. At present no rules for the preservation of fish are 

 necessary : the population is scanty and scattered. Great numbers of fish 

 are undoubtedly killed during t]^e spawning season in the small streams 

 and feeders to the lakes when they should not be disturbed. It might 

 prove advantageous elsewhere to prohibit river-fishing from June to 

 October as suggested by Mr. Sturt, but it is not necessary in Bundlecund 

 where fish cannot be said to form the staple food of any class of the 

 people, save the Dheemurs, and they are not a numerous body. The 

 Deputy Commissioner of Jalom (May 7th, 1872) reported: "Breeding- 

 fish and very young ones are indiscriminately caught, and very young 

 ones destroyed to a great extent. This destruction goes on at all 

 seasons by netting, weirs, &c. Meshes of different sizes are used, but 

 the usual mesh is about a quarter of an inch." The difficulty in regula- 

 ting the minimum size is that such ' ' would revolutionise all ideas of native 

 fishermen on the subject, and meet, therefore, with much opposition." The 

 Deputy Commissioner of Lullutpur (December 27th, 1871) remarked, 

 " All the information I have been able to collect tends to show that 

 fish is not an article of diet sought for or used at all generally by 

 the inhabitants of the district ; that where it is so used, it is amongst 

 the lowest classes, such as Chumars, Dheemurs, &c." "The river 

 Betwa and its tributaries, viz., the Jumnee, Sujnam and Sujad are our 

 fish-containing rivers. In all but the last, there are large quantities of 

 mahaseer of all sizes, but these, I may say, are literally never caught, 

 unless it be a dozen or so yearly by European officers with rod and line, 



