[9] 



THE FISHERIES OP INDIA. 



large rivers of ludia and Burma generally when tlie June monsoon 

 commences, but not always at the same period, such apparently at times 

 being dependent upon the rapidity of the current and other causes. 

 That it is not due solelj" to the presence of rain-water flooding the river 

 is evident, because those of the Indus and Irawadi are mainly caused 

 by melting snows at this period, and likewise in the latter river these 

 fishes push on to Upper Burma, to which country the monsoon scarcely 

 extends, but where the inundations are due to snow floods. Probably 

 the cause of the majority of fishes at these various periods ascending 

 tlie difi'erent rivers to spawn may be due to their liaving been bred there, 

 while iuherited instinct causes them to select the most suitable times, 

 when the shallows are covered with water and ascent is rendered prac- 

 ticable. It is evident that members of the same family, genus, or even 

 species, may spawn at very diflerent jjeriods, due to local or climatic 

 causes. There are also fishes which deposit their ova twice yearly, if 

 not more frequently; these are generally freshwater forms, and are not 

 rare, especially in troi)ical countries ; as an example we have the walk- 

 ing-fishes. 



Effect ofsjjmvning on parent Jish. — Has spawning any deleterious effect 

 upon the parent fishes"? To this, two replies may be given, as in some 

 cases it renders their flesh unwholesome, while in others it does not 

 cause their character as to food to be altered. The shad in the East 

 are excellent eating up to the period when they have deposited their eggs, 

 subsequent to which they become thin, flabby, and positively unwhole- 

 some: the salmon have similarly an unhealthy lean and lank condition, 

 rendering them unsuitable for the table. Freshwater fishes that de- 

 posit a smaller number of eggs, or, perhaps, do so more gradually, or 

 twice at least during the year, do not invariably appear to be so dele- 

 teriously affected by breeding, this condition being more restricted to 

 the anadromous forms. 



8ise, color, and protection of eggs. — The size of the eggs, their color, 

 and whether deposited in ponds or in the sea, are likewise questions af- 

 fecting the breeding of fish. The forms which produce the greatest 

 number of eggs are often those which live in large communities and 

 spawn once a year. In an Indian shad I found 1,023,645 eggs. But 

 other forms have likewise numerous eggs. I oberved 410,500 in a barbel 

 [Barbus sarana) ; on the other hand, some fishes have large eggs, as a 

 few of the sheat-fishes, and a genus of carp [Barilius). In such as 

 spawn at least twice a year, and likewise protect their young, the num- 

 ber of eggs is less than what generally obtains in other genera ; thus 

 in a walking-fish {Opliioce-phalus) I found 4,700. 



As to the color of fish eggs, they are very diversified ; in some fresh- 

 water siluroids they are of a light pea- green, as I have observed in the 

 scorpion fish {Saccobranchus fossilis). Respecting the localities where 

 fish deposit their eggs, these are exceedingly various, as n;iight be an- 

 ticipated, owing to some sinking in the water while others float. The 



