Contributions to the Ornithology of India, S,-c. lo5 



fish weig-hing 3 lbs. and upwards^ not one in fifty that gets into 

 the enclosure ever escapes. The biggest fish are huge siluroids, six 

 or seven feet in length, long thin scaleless shark-like looking 

 wretches, and deep massive carps, roohoo, and its congeners, with 

 broad glittering, gold and silver scales, and of each of these num- 

 bers fully 20 ibs. in weight, were taken before our eyes. The 

 boatmen indeed declared that they often captured them a maund 

 in weight (83 lbs.,) but I have observed that all fishermen lie as 

 to the weight of the fish they have caught. 



Then I went to see another modification of this same mode 

 of driving ; a rush bed, the favourite haunt at mid-day of many 

 of the larger carp, is surrounded, a boat guards every little fish- 

 path, if I may so call the runs, by which they enter and exit from 

 the bed. At the bows of each boat stand one or more spear- 

 men, or women, (for the ladies are nearly as great adepts at this 

 sport as their lords and masters.) Then a boat pushes in to the 

 bed and commences the pots-and-pans concert, working backwards 

 and forwards like a pointer in a turnip field. Sooner or later, 

 every fish must make a bolt of it — human nature may endure this 

 fiendish discord, but fish nature cawnot. The water is un- 

 disturbed, clear, and bright, and rapidly as the broad-backed 

 carp makes his exit, he is fortunate if a spear does not cut 

 short his career. I watched a woman strike five fish, in succession, 

 at depths of from 2 to 4 feet, as they darted by, in certainly less 

 than a minute, of course letting go each spear as she felt it 

 strike, and clutching another from the bundle she held in her left 

 hand. The men with me said she was one of the best shots 

 on the lake. At the same time I saw (and it was only natural) 

 scores of fish missed, and some by this very lady. 



Another way they have of spearing is to let the boat glide 

 noiselessly in the shallower lotus-paved portions of the lake. 

 Under the broad leaves their practised eyes detect the fish 

 basking, and then they, not only spear them at times before the 

 fish wakes to the consciousness of the boat^s approach, but 

 continually, when a more wide-awake fellow darts off before they 

 are within striking range, fling the spear after him, and thus 

 strike him swimming at the distance of some yards. 



The spears from 8 to 11 feet long, are very straight and light, 

 single reeds, with fine slender, slightly-barbed iron heads. 



Pushing through the reeds they spear the coots and water- 

 hens with wonderful rapidity, and wounded water-fowl, diving 

 and passing anywhere near the boat, plainly visible as they are in 

 the clear water, are certain to be transfixed. 



It is not onl}^ with spears that the boatmen of the Munehur 

 Lake are adroit marksmen, they shoot coots, even flying, at from 



