216 Mahseer spawning and fry. Chapt. xvi. 



man has learnt by artificial means to bring about three 

 quarters to maturity. 



The Mahseer and many other fish breed in the same 

 way, with this difference that the Mahseer appears, as al- 

 ready shown (page 27.), to lay its eggs not all at one time, 

 but in several batches. The Mahseer might therefore be 

 artificially multiplied in the same way as the salmon and 

 the trout. 



In India however we have another means of culture 

 in the rice fields which are filled at times with the fry of 

 all sorts of fish, the Mahseer I believe amongst others. 

 As it is the instinct of some mature fish to ascend the 

 rivers for the purpose of spawning in small waters cal- 

 culated to suit the puny strength of their tiny fry, and 

 by their shallowness to afford them protection from pre- 

 datory fish, so is it the instinct of their fry to descend, 

 as they grow, to deeper wider waters. In India moreover 

 they are compelled to do this by the decreasing in the hot 

 weather of the rivers. Down the river these fry dawdle 

 therefore, feeding as they go. But as the rivers are fre- 

 quently dammed up and turned off for irrigation purpos- 

 es, they naturally go with the stream down the irrigation 

 channel, and consequently find themselves in a rice field. 

 In the shallow water of the rice field, and under the sha- 

 dow of the growing rice, they would do very well, were it 

 not that death awaits them at every turn, in basket traps 

 placed at every drop from rice field to rice field, into 

 which they fall by still following their natural instinct 

 of descending the stream. It is hoped the day is coming 



