Chap. X.] FALL OF FISHES FROM CLOUDS. 341 



by the high road leading from Colombo to Kandy. 

 Before the change of the monsoon, the hollows on either 

 side of the highway are covered with dust or stunted 

 grass ; but when flooded by the rains, they are imme- 

 diately resorted to by the peasants with baskets, con- 

 structed precisely as Knox has stated, in which the 

 fish are entrapped and taken out by the hand. 1 



So singular a phenomenon as the sudden re-appear- 

 ance of full-grown fishes in places that a few days before 

 had been encrusted with hardened clay, has not failed 

 to attract attention ; but the European residents have 

 been content to explain it by hazarding conjectures, 

 either that the spawn must have lain imbedded in the 

 dried earth till released by the rains, or that the fish, 

 so unexpectedly discovered, fall from the clouds during 

 the deluge of the monsoon. 



As to the latter conjecture ; the fall of fish during 

 showers, even were it not so problematical in theory, is 

 too rare an event to account for the punctual appear- 

 ance of those found in the rice-fields, at stated periods 

 of the year. Both at Gfalle and Colombo in the south- 

 west monsoon, fish are popularly believed to have fallen 

 from the clouds during violent showers, but those found 

 on the occasions that give rise to this belief, consist of 

 the smallest fry, such as could be caught up by water- 

 spouts, and vortices analogous to them, or otherwise 

 blown on shore from the surf; whereas those which 



1 As anglers, the native Singha- conducted into a series of enclo- 



lese exhibit little expertness ; but sures from which retreat is im- 



for fishing the rivers, they con- practicable. Mr. Layard, in the 



struct with singular ingenuity Magazine of Natural History for 



fences formed of strong stakes, May, 1853, has given a diagram of 



protected by screens of ratan, that one of these fish " corrals," as they 



stretch diagonally across the cur- are called, of which a copy is shown 



rent , and along these the fish are on the next page. 



Z 3 



