CHAP. xi. Spawning Time. 169 



If they was arf as 'ungry as me they'd be boiting as if the divil 

 was in 'em." 



I have had somewhat inadequate opportunities for arriving at any 

 conclusiveness about the time of spawning, but one year I noticed that 

 Carnatic Carp caught at the end of September had their roe more than 

 half formed, and that fish caught in December were full of milt ; and 

 another year some ten miles higher up the same river they were mostly 

 full of roe and just spawned on 3oth September, 1882. Natives said 

 the fry could be taken in the dry weather (Chitra). Native fishermen 

 say that they feed freely on waterweed, and may be taken with a piece 

 used as a bait. Perhaps this is what the peacock harl body is 

 taken for. 



The following description of the Carnatic Carp is extracted from 

 Dr. Day's " Fishes of India " : * 



Order. PHYSOSTOMI. 



Family. CYPRINID^E. 



Sub-Family. CYPRININ^E. 



Genus. Barbus. 



Sub-genus. Bar bodes , with four barbels. 



Division b. Last undivided dorsal ray osseous and entire. 



BARBUS CARNATICUS. 



Jerdon, M. J. L. S., 1849, P- 3 11 \ Giinther, Catal. VII., p. 128. 

 Puntius (Barbodes) Carnaticus, Day, Proc. Zool. Soc., 1867, p. 292. Poaree 

 candee, Saal candee^ Shellee Tamil. Giddi-Kaoli, Hind. Gidpakke, Can. 



B. III., D. 12 (f) P. 15, V. 9, A. 7 (!) C. 19, L. 1. 30-32, L. tr. 5/6. 



Length of head 5f, of caudal 4! to 5, height of body 3 to 4 in the total 

 length. Eyes diameter 3 to 4 in the length of the head, I diameter from 

 the end of snout, and ii to 2 apart. Inter-orbital space flat. Dorsal 

 profile more convex than that of the abdomen. Upper jaw the longer. 

 Lower labial fold interrupted. Teeth pharyngeal, pointed, curved, 5, 3, 

 2/2, 3, 5. Barbels thin, both pairs shorter than the eye. Fins the 



* Pub. by Bernard Quaritch, 15, Piccadilly : 4 vols. 4to., 12 I2s. 



f Sel-kendai, pronounced Sh^i-kendai^ is the Tamil of the Coimbatore district for 

 the Carnatic Carp, while the same word stands in the Tamil of the Tanjore district 

 for a Labeo, which again is called in Coimbatore, Karumula-Kendai. Such local 

 variations in a single language increase the difficulty of arriving at correct vernacular 

 names, and indicate the need for extreme caution in the understanding of native 

 testimony. 



