Chapt. in. "Good for masters body." 23 



They are all good eating and are superior, I am told, 

 to the Bengal Mahseer. If under a pound in weight, they 

 are indifferent, but when mature fish, say not less than 

 three or four pounds in weight, and in good condition, 

 they make a dish not to he despised. 



All the Mahseer wants is boiling. It is too rich to 

 bear sauce. Natives in camp whom I have supplied with 

 more than they could eat fresh, said it salted very well, 

 but I never tried, and tastes differ, though rich fish do 

 as a rule salt well. Without making "odorous" compa- 

 risons with the flavor of English or other fish that we 

 all know, I will only ask my reader to try a good sized 

 Mahseer in good condition, and I think he will not be 

 disappointed. It is said to produce laxity of the bowels, 

 but it is so also with other things that are by no means 

 poisonous, and I think it is only because it is so very 

 rich, and people are tempted to eat more than they can 

 digest of such rich food. For its not being unwholesome 

 when spawning I have given my reasons below. 



The size of the Mahseer depends much on the size of 

 the river in which it is found, and possibly on other cir- 

 cumstances also with which we are not acquainted, but 

 certainly on the size of the river. In some rivers they 

 do not run above ten or twelve pounds, whereas in others 

 they have been taken weighing 40 lbs. and 50 lbs. and 

 even as much as 74 lbs. The size of salmon at home is 

 also found to be not a little dependent on the size of the 

 river they frequent, and there is probably no necessity 

 to look for ulterior causes. 



