FISH 23 



miicli resembling beef in appearance. These fish some- 

 times attain a weight of over 2,000 lbs., and are captured 

 in nets. The meat is, however, coarse and unpalatable 

 to Europeans. Wlien on an expedition down the river 

 I once had an oj^portunity of purchasing a living spe- 

 cimen ; but though I was only about eighty miles from 

 the town, the fisherman refused to take my Ichang 

 notes, which was the only form of money I had with 

 me ; consequently this chance of securing a large 

 specimen to send home was lost. 



An excellent fish for food, and much appreciated by 

 the Europeans, is the mandarin fish. It is small and 

 averages about a pound, rarely reaching more than 

 four, in weight. Shaped somewhat like a bream, it is 

 of a beautiful light silvery brown colour on the back 

 and silvery white underneath. It is fairly common, and 

 is captured both by nets and lines. In the river is 

 also found a large species of carp, which forms a con- 

 siderable article of diet among the natives ; it attains a 

 weight of 25 lbs. The whole river is teeming with 

 fish of many other sorts, wdiicli are much fished for by 

 the natives, who are expert anglers, in various ways. 



The abundance of fish is so great that the natives 

 are at certain times in the habit of setting long lines 

 wdtli many hooks attached to short lengths at small in- 

 tervals. These are shot across the stream without any 



