App. E. Advantage of variableness of rivers. 285 



bably completely cut off from their fry; so that till the 

 commencement of the same monsoon in the following 

 year, they cannot return to devour them. The fry thus 

 not only have the heads of the rivers securely to them- 

 selves, hut they have them also beautifully accommodated 

 to their puny strength, the impassable torrent having be- 

 come a mere driblet of an inch or so in depth. 



28. Though the variation in the size of the Canara 

 rivers is much greater than the changes' in English rivers, 

 it is at the same time much more regular. Though 

 Canara has in a year 130 inches of rain-fall to swell its 

 rivers, and a tropical land and irrigation to waste them, 

 yet they each come in their regular season. Almost the 

 whole of the 130 inches falls during the prevalence- of the 

 south-west monsoon, which commences with June, and 

 lasts about four months. This monsoon ended, there are 

 only such moderate rains as cannot affect the rivers. 

 This monsoon ends then with September, and from that 

 time the rivers continue to subside steadily till the follow- 

 ing June. The fish spawn in the interim, and the spawn 

 is safely hatched, and the fry are somewhat grown, before 

 the recurrence of the annual floods in June. There are 

 thus no unseasonable floods coming down, as in England, 

 after the spawning time, and carrying away the spawn; 

 and when they do come in June, they seasonably sweep 

 away the obstacles, in the shape of temporary irrigation • 



dams, which would otherwise prevent 

 Para 33 



the spawning fish from ascending. 



29. In respect therefore both of the extremes of 



