CHAP. xvi. Shooting Murral. 227 



the same way, and with the same tackle. But whether they require 

 clear water, as the Mahseer does, and the necessary concomitant of 

 fine tackle, or can equally be taken when the water is coloured, I am 

 not prepared to state, though I am told coloured water suits them 

 best. The principle on which they surprise their prey is to hide 

 themselves well. 



They are, in my experience, very shy fish, and from what has been 

 seen of their habits should be fished for, not in mid stream, but close 

 to the banks, and under them, and in the still pools. 



Morning or evening is also the time to take them ; in the heat of 

 the day they may be seen basking on the surface or close below it, 

 and can then be shot. I have seen a native doing this very successfully. 

 He walked up the stream like a wise man, so as to approach the basking 

 Murral unobserved from behind, and he used a ball, and aimed always 

 at the head. By making the head your mark, you not only injure 

 your fish less for the table, but you make much more sure of bagging. 

 The one that this native shot for me had the slightest mark on the 

 off side of the head, where the ball had just grazed. Apparently 

 the man had not allowed sufficiently for the refraction, and had very 

 nearly missed his fish in consequence; but just a touch had been 

 sufficient on the head, whereas a flesh wound would not have secured 

 the fish, unless it had been so central as to break the backbone. If 

 you aim at the head you may even miss your fish, and the concussion 

 of the water will stun him, if you have gone close to him. I am 

 told they sink when killed, or stunned, as I should suppose they 

 would. You must, therefore, have a man ready to go in after them 

 at once. 



But if you go in for fish shooting, and I would not call it poaching 

 in India, you must allow for refraction. Refraction makes the fish 

 appear nearer to the surface than it is you should therefore aim 

 below it ; your ball also has a tendency not to pursue a direct course 

 under water, but to glance upwards another reason for aiming low. 

 Furthermore, your ball will not take to the water kindly at all, will 

 not do business far under the surface. I think a foot under water is 

 the utmost distance at which you can trust it to be effective. 



But to return to the rod and line. The Murral may be spun for 

 with the same bait and tackle as has been recommended for Mahseer ; 

 but if you want to get sport out of him, you must remember that he 



Q 2 



