THE MAXmG OF A HIMALAYAN TROUT WATER. 327 



initial mistake in the choice of the site which left no room for expansion. 

 In any country where wood is cheap tanks lined with timber planed and 

 varnished with asphaltum* are economical to construct and maintain and 

 easy to clean. Every Pond should be built with a small depression or trap 

 8 or 10 inches deep in the boarding of the bottom : as the water is run off 

 all the fish congregate in this trap and this saves much handling and hunt- 

 ing. The dimensions of our ponds are : Rearing Pond No. I, Il'x4'x3'. 

 No. II, 26|'x5i'x3'. No. Ill, 41i'x5'x4'. No. IV, 38i'x6i'x5'. 

 Stock Pond 72'x34' (extreme width). We have an unlimited supply 

 of highly oxygenated water, and no disease has so far appeared among the 

 fish. For stock the procedure adopted is to hold up about 200 fry in No. I ; 

 one year old fish in No. II ; and two year old fish in No. III. The two 

 year olds are moved into the Stock Pond in October (or earlier if their size 

 warrants it) : and the fish in Nos. I and II are then sorted over the three 

 tanks according to size. Of course any exceptionally well grown fish must 

 always he removed or he will devour his companions. It is most important 

 to keep one pond with earth sides and bottom alongside the Stock Pond : 

 any fish which looks weak or out of sorts is immediately put into this, and 

 the tonic properties of the earth soon revive him. Without such a 

 " hospital " I should be sorry to hold up a large stock of fish in any 

 cemented or timber lined pond. 



As this paper is written the stock of fish ready to spawn next November 

 consists of 61 females and 39 males. At least 22 wild males will be caught 

 to balance the sexes. In No. Ill we have 15 females and 10 males. In 

 No. II 46 one-year old fish and in No. I 229 fry. No. IV Eearing Pond 

 is reserved for old pensioned cock fish of the original 1909 stock who are 

 useless as breeders, but interesting objects of observation. They run to 

 nearly 9 lbs. in weight now. 



Results obsbkved. 



At risk of exceeding my space I must summarise some of the results 

 observed in the Beas. In 1910 (summer) a dozen trout were caught at 

 Katrain (Reach VI) ranging from 8" to 11'' long. In 1911 a 3^ lb. fish 

 (female) was caught near the same place measuring 20"xllf" (Reach VI). 

 She was full of barbel fry. In April 1912 a 3-year old trout was caught at 

 Mandi (60 miles downstream) which measured " nearly two feet " in length. 

 In 1913 fish were continually netted by men catching barbel in Reaches 

 111,1V, V and VII: they ran from 8 to 12 inches in length and were 

 certainly fish spawned naturally. In 1914 two officers fishing for 14 

 days from 26th May to 24th June caught 34 fish weighing 32^ lbs. chiefly 

 in Reach VI, but 3 in Reach V and 2 in Reach IV. In August 3 fish were 

 caught of one lb. each in Reach III, and two of 1^ and 1|^ lb. in Reach 

 VI. A ^ lb. fish was taken on fly in Reach VI in June. All the rest were 

 taken either on phantoms, spoons or worm. These represent casual 

 experimental eftbrts, and they show clearly enough that the species is 

 spreading and that it will come to the rod. In the Autumn 9 fish 

 were caught in Reach VI for breeding purposes ranging from ^ to 1 lb. 

 No angling has been done in 1915. But the men netting barbel for the 

 stock fish to eat caught so many trout that I have had to stop netting 

 altogether above Sultanpur. After a shower of rain a few days ago I sent 

 out our head fisherman to catch males for the stock pond. In three daj's 

 (fishing about an hour each day) he caught 5 males averaging 2^ lbs. and 

 17 females which were returned. A few days ago a 2^ lb. cock fish came 



* Asphaltum is the residuum left from coal tar after boiling out all its volatile 

 constituents. In solution with turpentine it forms the "asphaltum varnish" 

 of commerce. Two coats will generally prevent fungus from growing on wood- 



