28 The Natural History of the Mahsecr. CHAP. in. 



of the amount of labour required to collect specimens sufficient to clear 

 up a moot point, to decide which differences are only accidents of local 

 colouring, which the ordinary result of the change of season, which 

 indicate only varieties, and which serve to constitute separate species. 

 To satisfy an accurate mind specimens must be collected from many 

 rivers, in many localities, at various ages, in various seasons, and in 

 goodly numbers ; and all details of capture must be reliably noted at 

 the time ; all these facts which form the basis of conclusions should also 

 be retained for the satisfaction of other enquirers. I did enough of this 

 to know what a labour it is, enough to know that it would be impossible 

 for me to find sufficient leisure in the intervals of business to exhaust 

 the matter to my own satisfaction ; not enough to lay down exactly how 

 many different Maliseers there are, but still enough to make an advance 

 in that direction by venturing the assertion that there are at least three 

 distinct forms with difference of external structure, and many more 

 with differences in colouring. Conceiving that these differences may be 

 not uninteresting to some of my readers I will present them with three 

 plates of Mahseer, illustrative of my contention that there are at least 

 three distinct forms, and as to the differences in colouring I will ask my 

 readers to be content with my describing them in the letterpress, in 

 lieu of colouring the plates, as in my previous edition, in order that 

 they may thereby get the benefit of a cheaper book within the means of 

 many a poor brother of the angle to whom the price of my last edition 

 was deterrent. 



Plate I. represents the Mahseer of the Bawanny, an affluent of the 

 Cavery, which discharges on the East coast of the Madras Presidency. 

 Plate II. is taken from the Mahseer of the rivers of the West coast of 

 the same Presidency, and represents generally the shape of the Mahseer 

 of Northern India. Plate III., copied from Dr. Day's splendid work 

 " The Fishes of India," illustrates the variety described by him in the 

 quotation made above as having the lips largely developed. 



I put the Bawanny Mahseer first because, to my thinking, he is the 

 finest of them all. He is much deeper, it will be observed, and more 

 high backed than the other Mahseers. When he attains size and 

 corpulence these peculiarities are emphasized, and though, like an 

 alderman, he lays it on pretty evenly all over from the very chin 

 downwards, still the obesity is especially remarkable in the droop at 

 the anal fin. In this respect he is following the fashion of respectability, 



