CCXXX11 



these circumstances it does not seem necessary that any measures need be 

 taken for the conservation of fish in this division. On this subject, I 

 beg to submit a very exhaustive and carefully drawn-up report from 

 Dr. Bose, Civil Surgeon of Furreedpore." [The report alluded to doubt- 

 less is very creditable, but hardly in accordance with the zoological 

 knowledge of the present half century. Fortunately, however, the 

 native names of most of the fishes are given, by which a few may be 

 recognised ; a few more by Hamilton Buchanan's designations, but from 

 whence species of the Cod family, Gadida, could have been procured, it 

 is difficult to understand, as the little sea and estuary Bregmaceros is its 

 only representative in India. Others of the Latin terms perhaps have 

 been derived from a dictionary, but certainly not from any zoological 

 work, whilst the last two, excluding the eels, are a Zeus, quite an unknown 

 genus in Hindustan, and " a very common fish of the fresh-water, which 

 seldom reaches a foot/"* Lacerla scincus is stated to be its scientific 

 name, terms, however, each of which is that of a genus amongst lizards, 

 forms the bases of family designations of reptiles, but becomes un- 

 known amongst fishes !] Dr. Bose, Civil Surgeon of Furreedpore, 

 after his list of fish, continues " the supply is not diminishing here. 

 I can speak from a personal local experience of upwards of fifteen years, 

 and certainly during this time I have never noticed such falling off. 

 On the other hand, the markets always appeared fully as well supplied 

 and sometimes as glutted as ever.-" All classes consume fish, and even 

 many voishnabs and widows, who usually abstain from it elsewhere. 

 Hilsa are said to be largely salted for Calcutta and other markets ; no 

 other fish are preserved, but oil is sometimes taken from this fish as well. 

 Tanks are few, but are generally kept well stocked with fish. In this 

 district, which is annually inundated during the rains, " and where, by the 

 latter means, nature, as it were, by a preconcerted arrangement, undertakes 

 to carry on the breeding of fish on a large scale herself, any artificial 

 culture by the hand of man would appear to me to be almost unneces- 

 sary or superfluous," &c. In short, he considers that the inundations 

 occur during the spawning time of fishes, whilst these watery districts are 

 the nurseries for the fry, and admirably adapted for supplying them with 

 food. " Inundations, therefore, far from being a source of great evil, 

 ought to be looked upon as the most beneficent provision in the economy 

 of nature for the breeding and preservation of fish ; and such being 

 the case, where these obtain, any other protective measures, which cannot 

 but be of a molecular or liliputian character compared to these gigantic 

 natural operations to the same end, would seem to be hardly called for, or 

 possibly needed." Ignoring how the breeding-fish and fry are destroyed, 

 he considers such destruction as not to be compared with what would 

 accrue were there no inundations or localities where proper pasture could be 

 found by these baby fishes. Breeding-fish are only accidentally caught, 

 and the fry to some extent as inundations recede ; but as they are not 

 wantonly so, it is useless to enumerate the machines. If fry were not 

 permitted to be sold, " the effect would be simply to interfere with the 

 food -supply of the people without in the slightest manner helping the 

 cause of pisciculture." The answers given by the Collectors and others are 

 tabulated. In Dacca breeding-fish and very young ones are destroyed to 

 a great extent, indiscriminately, in all i*i\ers,j/ieelsj water-courses, &c., 



