CHAP. xxvi. Burmah. 393 



spoilt sport. I regret that I kept no record of the fish I caught then, but 

 the number was certainly not less than 450, of which the biggest scaled 

 just over 10 Ibs. My best day's bag I remember was forty-two. 



" I have now been here since the beginning of the year, and up to the 

 3ist of March have taken 319 fish, eighteen over 2 Ibs., best fish 93- Ibs., 

 remainder of all sizes from 3 or 4 ozs. upwards. I was out on thirty-two 

 days (not always fishing all day by any means), which gives an average of 

 ten nearly a day. I have only three times got more than one fish over 



2 Ibs. in the day's fishing. On January ist, out of eight, one of 6 Ibs., one 



3 Ibs., and one 2 Ibs. ; on January 3rd, out of nine, one of 3 Ibs., and one 

 2 Ibs. ; on February ist, out of nine, one of 9!- Ibs., and one 7 Ibs. 9 ozs. 

 These last two fish I got immediately one after the other at the head of the 

 same pool. 



" From the above it will be seen that the fish here, though plentiful, do 

 not run very large, I doubt there being any over 1 5 Ibs. in the river, but 

 with a light rod anything over a pound gives plenty of sport, for they are as 

 game as, if not gamer than, any trout. I only once caught a big trout, that 

 was one of 3! Ibs., in an Irish lake, and he certainly had not half the dash 

 of many a smaller Nampoung Mahseer. 



" There are at least eight kinds of fish in this river. Of these Barbus 

 Tor is by far the most numerous and sporting. All the others, I regret, I 

 cannot name. Perhaps some of them may be identified from the following 

 descriptions : 



" i. A fish with four feelers, very like Barbus Tor, but with smaller 

 mouth and more silvery colour ; fins strongly tinged with red. I did not 

 get a specimen over I Ib. A day's bag would comprise one or two of these, 

 weighing as a rule from 4 to 12 ozs. I never took one of these fish with 

 spinning bait. 



" 2. A fish with two feelers (I forget whether on upper or lower jaw) 

 resembles Barbus Tor, but the golden sheen brighter and more metallic, 

 mouth bigger and less leathery, body shallower a very handsome fish. I 

 have only caught three of these, about j- Ib. in weight. They are less bony 

 and better eating, I think, than Barbus Tor. 



" 3. A small fish, the general colour of a murral, covered with egg-shaped 

 black spots. It has a very small pointed mouth like an eel's, adorned with 

 many (I forget how many) feelers. I have only caught one of these in this 

 river, about seven inches long. Judging from this one, a big specimen of 

 the kind would give very good sport. 



" 4. Exactly similar to, and probably only a variety of, Barbus Tor, but 

 with first spine of dorsal fin serrated. I caught three or four of these in the 

 dirty water of the Taping. 



"5. Chilwa, a small sort not exceeding four inches in length, a bright 

 silver with vertical dark slashes, or occasional horizontal pale green lines, 

 on the sides. These make a very good bait. They take a fly readily, and 

 I have caught them sometimes on a No. I spoon thrown as a fly. 



