CHAP. vi. Sloiv Spinning with Light Tac/Je. 91 



lation of his tail, he takes just one step backwards* as if preparing for 

 a spring, then suddenly makes one lightning dash, and the small fish has 

 undergone deglutition. That is evidently the motion that pays. Imitate 

 it then. But you dare not trail your bait so lazily, so listlessly, about 

 in bright water if you have a multitude of obvious hooks. For slow 

 spinning in clear water the necessity for light tackle with but few hooks, 

 and those well concealed, is therefore imperative. Flights of hooks 

 invented by Englishmen for English waters, are better suited to them 

 than to the bright waters and bright skies of the Indian angler. Besides 

 its being unnatural for a predatory fish to give chase to, and hunt down, 

 a small fish or bait that is passing at such speed as to indicate a pre- 

 paredness for flight, and to put him at a disadvantage for seizing it at a 

 single short dash, like a tiger's bound upon its prey, it is also to be 

 considered that he may not have seen it at all, or it has passed out of 

 his sight, or reach, all too quickly. 



Here I must acknowledge obligation to L. J. for the following 

 kindly communication made in the Asian of the 23rd December, 

 1879. I will quote here only his postscript, because that only is to our 

 present point. The rest of his letter will be quoted further on. I will 

 only premise that the rest of his letter shows a capture in thirteen 

 days of 958 Ibs. of fish, a little fact that gives weight to his evidence. 

 He says : 



"P.S. I have thought once or twice of writing to Mr. Thomas about 

 Mahseer chasing fish. In page 79 of his book he says, referring to 

 Mahseer : ' Predatory fish do not hunt down flying game like a dog ; they 

 take it unawares like a cat ; if they feel they cannot seize it at a spring or 

 a rush, they give it up and watch for another opportunity.' I am not one 

 of ye giants in natural history, and therefore I am not going to pitf myself 

 against the Author, as I should only get the worst of it, but I just want to 

 tell him that I on two occasions saw Mahseer hunting. 



" On the first occasion I was playing a fish on a long shelving sand, 

 where I could see my fish some 30 yards off. It was late in the afternoon, I 

 saw a small fish come full speed from the deep water and pass close to my feet 

 (I was standing in about a foot of water), followed by a Mahseer who came 

 tearing along until his dorsal fin stood out of the water. He was so close 



* The reason for the slight backward movement will be seen hereafter in remarks 

 on the swimming of fish. 



t Pitting should be out of the question between brothers of the angle. I am only 

 very much obliged to L. J. I hope he will take in good part my venturing to be 

 of the same opinion still, and my reasons therefor. 



