200 MH. F. DAY ON AMPHIBIOUS AND 



being poisoned from the vegetation, or simply to its being fouled, 

 preventing respiration by choking the gills. If the dead fish are 

 examined, it will be found that poisoned water kills all kinds of 

 fish, fouled water only those which have no accessory means of 

 respiration, in fact all which are not amphibious. 



The collector of Bustee reported, in answer to my inquiries, 

 " The Bela Tal at Jeitpur is formed by an embankment across a 

 low valley, and the course of a small hill-stream lies through it. 

 During the hot weather this stream becomes almost dry, only re- 

 taining water in holes in the midst of the jungle ; these holes 

 become full of dead leaves, and with the first burst of the rains 

 the putrid contents are swept down into the lake. The conse- 

 quence, I was told on the spot, is that numbers of fish are per- 

 fectly stupified and float on the top of the water, an easy prey to 

 any who will take them." Mr. Hobart likewise observed, " I 

 have never heard of poisoning being used as a means to capture 

 fish there ; but I remember seeing the stream poisoned naturally. 

 At the end of the cold season some rain had fallen and had washed 

 the fresh leaves into the water, which turned, from this and other 

 causes, to a dull red colour. The fish sickened and died in thou- 

 sands. On the up-stream side of the arches of the bridges and traps 

 (weirs spanning the river) you could see millions offish eager to 

 get down past the obstruction and escape from the poisoned 

 water. For a hundred yards or so the river was a mass of living 

 heads. The fish died in a day or two, and birds of prey came from 

 all parts to devour them. The dead fish were carted ofi" as 

 manure." 



The Tehsildar of Buldana, in the assigned districts of the Dec- 

 can, observed that " disturbing the water of a stream so as to cause 

 it to become muddy is said sometimes to cause the fish to die." 

 The Collector of Tanna in Bombay remarked that when the 

 rivers* become muddy at the commencement of the monsoon, 

 fisli die in large numbers, also when they become nearly dry at 

 the close of the hot weather. In Oudh it was reported from 

 Faizabad that fish were captured by the water being first 

 mudded by gangs of fifty or sixty men. In fact, I saw the 

 same thing this last year in Ireland. The water was low ; some 

 cattle went into a small pond formed by the stream above 

 having ceased to flow, and two Trout were thus destroyed. 



On the other hand, in 1866, 1 was riding from MettapoUiam to 

 Wellington, and whilst crossing the Kullaar bridge, at 4.45 p.m., 



