36 Power of compression. . Chapt.iv. 



that he had not only "turned over a new leaf" as parent- 

 ally entreated, but several libraries. 



To any one with an eye for fish a single glance is suf- 

 ficient to show that the Mahseer is a carp. He has a 

 leathery mouth without a vestige of a tooth in it" any 

 where, the ordinary conclusion would be that carplike 

 he is not calculated to prey on small fish, but more likely 

 to be taken with dough or a lobworm. An examination of 

 his stomach has however told a different tale, (page 28) 

 and thence it was that I first learnt how great a fish eater 

 the Mahseer is. He has the same weakness for a fish diet 

 as his congener the English chub, only he has it to a 

 much" greater extent. 



But we have not yet done with his Asiatic contrarie- 

 ties. This mealy mouthed gentleman, who looks as if his 

 soft leathery lips could not hurt anything, has a peculiar 

 way of killing his fish. He has no teeth in his mouth 

 wherewith to hold any slippery little fish he may catch, 

 and prevent its struggling out again before he can swal- 

 low it. In lieu of this he is therefore provided with great 

 power of jaw, and he kills, and holds his fish, by compres- 

 sion, violent compression. It is difficult to conceive how 

 so soft a mouth can give the bite it does, can bear to give 

 the violent crush it does ; but there is the analogy of the 

 tiger, which has a yielding springy pad, on which it treads 

 noiselessly as on velvet, with which it can however strike 

 a blow that will break the backbone of a buffalo and 

 crush in the cranium of a man. That the Mahseer can 

 exert great power of compression with its soft mouth I 



