MAHSEER

mahseer, or mahaseer (_barbus mosal_), a kind of barbel, abundant in the rivers of india, especially in pools of the upper and more rapid streams where they issue from the mountainous part of the country. it is one of the largest species of the cyprinid family, attaining to a length of 3 to 5 ft., and sometimes exceeding a weight of 70 lb. its body is well-proportioned, rather elongate, and somewhat like that of the european barbel, but covered with very large scales, of which there are only twenty-five or twenty-seven placed along the lateral line; the dorsal fin is armed with a long and strong spine, and the mouth provided with four slender and short barbels. the lips are sometimes produced into fleshy lobes. to the fisherman in india the mahseer affords the same kind of sport as the salmon in the british isles, and it rivals that fish as regards size, strength and activity. its flesh is likewise much esteemed.