CHAP. xxvi. Burmah. 389 



holds many monsters and none yes, gentle reader, he says none under 

 20 Ibs ! and he is certain of it ! 



A kindly correspondent gives me the following localities : 



"There is very good trout-fishing at Chitor, a station 115 miles south of 

 Ajmere, on the Ajmere Khandwa line. The river runs over a rocky bed 

 with bands of limestone rock crossing at places, and running up large 

 natural lakes. The trout are found in the rivers and small pools, and are 

 very numerous and unsophisticated. They are accustomed to see people 

 washing in the river, and do not much fear men. In the large lakes there 

 are Mahseer, murral, and the freshwater shark Wallago attu. The Mahseer 

 do not run large, and are very difficult to catch perhaps we are not 

 sufficiently dexterous in the large, deep pools. The largest I have killed 

 was a little under 6 Ibs. The largest pool, or rather lake, is nearly a mile 

 long, and about 150 yards wide. At the lower end it is about 30 feet deep, 

 and it is full of enormous fish which have utterly defied all our attempts, 

 poaching and otherwise, to catch them. They come up and roll about on 

 the surface of the water, so they are easily seen, but they go down again 

 like porpoises, and give no chance* of a shot. The largest I have seen 

 appeared about \\ feet broad across the back I could form no opinion 

 regarding his length and looked like a small porpoise, except that the fins 

 were regular fish fins, and of a reddish colour, and the tail was set vertically 

 as in true fish. 



" There is another good fishing place on the same railway at Maundsaur, 

 180 miles from Ajmere. There are plenty of Mahseer, which run up to 

 20 Ibs. weight or so, but the largest generally caught would be 6 Ibs. It is 

 necessary to walk down the river about two miles, as the natives do not 

 allow fishing near the city of Maundsaur. Another good place is at the 

 crossing of the Nerbudda at the station of Newtakka. Here there are fine 

 fish, but, as you say, they will take nothing but grain which is parched and 

 bored as you describe. The bed is a mass of basalt rock, and the heads of 

 the hexagonal columns have a very curious appearance from the railway 

 bridge. The best fishing place is about half a mile down the stream on the 

 right bank." 



BURMAH. 



Mandalay. Colonel H. has caught Labeo there, and has seen huge 

 Siluroids brought in with mutton chops, soldiers' rations, in them, having 

 been caught amongst the shipping. 



Another correspondent caught white carp of 15, 13 and n Ibs. in a 

 tank fed from the Mandalay moat. The moat, he says, is full of Labeo, 

 white carp, freshwater shark, murral, and a deep silvery fish which is 

 probably Notopterus chitala. 



