<PAGE> PAGE 1
000 A000000 08/31/2000
000 C000000 0000896665
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 6.1
000 J000000 A
001 A000000 SENIOR HIGH INCOME PORTFOLIO, INC.
001 B000000 811-7456
001 C000000 6092822800
002 A000000 P.O. BOX 9011
002 B000000 PRINCETON
002 C000000 NJ
002 D010000 08543
002 D020000 9011
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
007 C010100 1
007 C010200 2
007 C010300 3
007 C010400 4
007 C010500 5
007 C010600 6
007 C010700 7
007 C010800 8
007 C010900 9
007 C011000 10
008 A000001 FUND ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.
008 B000001 A
008 C000001 801-12485
008 D010001 PRINCETON
008 D020001 NJ
008 D030001 08543
008 D040001 9011
011 A000001 MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC.
011 B000001 8-7221
011 C010001 PRINCETON
011 C020001 NJ
011 C030001 08543
011 C040001 9011
012 A000001 THE BANK OF NEW YORK
012 B000001 85-05006
012 C010001 NEW YORK
012 C020001 NY
012 C030001 10286
<PAGE> PAGE 2
013 A000001 DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
013 B010001 PRINCETON
013 B020001 NJ
013 B030001 08540
014 A000001 MLPF&S AND OTHER ML BROKER/DEALER AFFILIATES
014 B000001 8-7221
015 A000001 THE BANK OF NEW YORK
015 B000001 C
015 C010001 NEW YORK
015 C020001 NY
015 C030001 10286
015 E010001 X
015 A000002 BANKERS TRUST COMPANY
015 B000002 S
015 C010002 NEW YORK
015 C020002 NY
015 C030002 10006
015 E010002 X
015 A000003 THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK
015 B000003 S
015 C010003 NEW YORK
015 C020003 NY
015 C030003 10017
015 E010003 X
015 A000004 CUSTODIAL TRUST CO.
015 B000004 S
015 C010004 NEW YORK
015 C020004 NY
015 C030004 10167
015 E010004 X
015 A000005 MORGAN GUARANTY TRUST CO. OF NEW YORK
015 B000005 S
015 C010005 NEW YORK
015 C020005 NY
015 C030005 10260
015 E010005 X
018 000000 Y
019 A000000 Y
019 B000000 206
019 C000000 MERRILLLYN
020 C000001 0
020 C000002 0
020 C000003 0
020 C000004 0
020 C000005 0
020 C000006 0
020 C000007 0
020 C000008 0
020 C000009 0
020 C000010 0
021 000000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 3
022 A000001 GENERAL MOTORS ACCEPTANCE CORP.
022 C000001 135389
022 D000001 0
022 A000002 WASSERSTEIN PERELLA SECURITIES, INC.
022 B000002 13-3502273
022 C000002 0
022 D000002 4683
022 A000003 CHASE SECURITIES INC.
022 B000003 13-3112953
022 C000003 1600
022 D000003 2760
022 A000004 SALOMON SMITH BARNEY INC.
022 B000004 11-2418191
022 C000004 0
022 D000004 3243
022 A000005 DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE SECURITIES CORP.
022 B000005 13-2741729
022 C000005 0
022 D000005 2588
022 A000006 BARCLAY INVESTMENTS, INC.
022 B000006 05-0346412
022 C000006 0
022 D000006 2303
022 A000007 CIBC WORLD MARKETS CORP.
022 B000007 13-2798343
022 C000007 0
022 D000007 2021
022 A000008 HSBC SECURITIES (USA) INC.
022 B000008 13-2650272
022 C000008 1899
022 D000008 0
022 A000009 BANC BOSTON SECURITIES
022 B000009 04-2472499
022 C000009 0
022 D000009 1689
022 A000010 FIRST UNION CAPITAL MARKETS
022 B000010 56-1529080
022 C000010 0
022 D000010 1456
023 C000000 139529
023 D000000 24258
024 000000 Y
025 A000001 WASSERSTEIN
025 C000001 D
025 D000001 2361
025 D000002 0
025 D000003 0
025 D000004 0
025 D000005 0
025 D000006 0
025 D000007 0
<PAGE> PAGE 4
025 D000008 0
026 A000000 N
026 B000000 Y
026 C000000 N
026 D000000 Y
026 E000000 N
026 F000000 N
026 G010000 N
026 G020000 N
026 H000000 N
027 000000 N
045 000000 Y
046 000000 N
047 000000 Y
048 000000 0.500
048 A010000 0
048 A020000 0.000
048 B010000 0
048 B020000 0.000
048 C010000 0
048 C020000 0.000
048 D010000 0
048 D020000 0.000
048 E010000 0
048 E020000 0.000
048 F010000 0
048 F020000 0.000
048 G010000 0
048 G020000 0.000
048 H010000 0
048 H020000 0.000
048 I010000 0
048 I020000 0.000
048 J010000 0
048 J020000 0.000
048 K010000 0
048 K020000 0.000
049 000000 N
050 000000 N
051 000000 N
052 000000 N
053 A000000 N
054 A000000 Y
054 B000000 Y
054 C000000 N
054 D000000 N
054 E000000 N
054 F000000 N
054 G000000 N
054 H000000 Y
054 I000000 N
<PAGE> PAGE 5
054 J000000 Y
054 K000000 N
054 L000000 N
054 M000000 Y
054 N000000 N
055 A000000 N
055 B000000 Y
056 000000 Y
057 000000 N
058 A000000 N
059 000000 Y
060 A000000 N
060 B000000 N
061 000000 0
062 A000000 Y
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.0
062 D000000 0.0
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 1.3
062 J000000 0.0
062 K000000 0.0
062 L000000 0.0
062 M000000 0.0
062 N000000 0.0
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 63.3
062 Q000000 68.4
062 R000000 0.5
063 A000000 0
063 B000000 6.8
064 A000000 N
064 B000000 N
066 A000000 N
067 000000 N
068 A000000 N
068 B000000 N
069 000000 N
070 A010000 Y
070 A020000 N
070 B010000 N
070 B020000 N
070 C010000 Y
070 C020000 N
070 D010000 N
070 D020000 N
070 E010000 Y
070 E020000 N
<PAGE> PAGE 6
070 F010000 N
070 F020000 N
070 G010000 Y
070 G020000 N
070 H010000 N
070 H020000 N
070 I010000 N
070 I020000 N
070 J010000 Y
070 J020000 Y
070 K010000 Y
070 K020000 Y
070 L010000 Y
070 L020000 Y
070 M010000 Y
070 M020000 N
070 N010000 Y
070 N020000 N
070 O010000 Y
070 O020000 Y
070 P010000 Y
070 P020000 N
070 Q010000 N
070 Q020000 N
070 R010000 N
070 R020000 N
071 A000000 78560
071 B000000 77085
071 C000000 523693
071 D000000 15
072 A000000 6
072 B000000 29068
072 C000000 0
072 D000000 0
072 E000000 176
072 F000000 1355
072 G000000 194
072 H000000 0
072 I000000 49
072 J000000 34
072 K000000 0
072 L000000 31
072 M000000 22
072 N000000 0
072 O000000 0
072 P000000 5271
072 Q000000 0
072 R000000 16
072 S000000 15
072 T000000 0
072 U000000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 7
072 V000000 0
072 W000000 43
072 X000000 7030
072 Y000000 0
072 Z000000 22214
072AA000000 787
072BB000000 12502
072CC010000 0
072CC020000 15651
072DD010000 23231
072DD020000 0
072EE000000 0
073 A010000 0.4312
073 A020000 0.0000
073 B000000 0.0000
073 C000000 0.0000
074 A000000 380
074 B000000 0
074 C000000 5008
074 D000000 280241
074 E000000 0
074 F000000 1833
074 G000000 0
074 H000000 0
074 I000000 217127
074 J000000 903
074 K000000 0
074 L000000 11726
074 M000000 17
074 N000000 517235
074 O000000 26
074 P000000 176
074 Q000000 137100
074 R010000 0
074 R020000 0
074 R030000 0
074 R040000 2271
074 S000000 0
074 T000000 377662
074 U010000 53870
074 U020000 0
074 V010000 7.01
074 V020000 0.00
074 W000000 0.0000
074 X000000 14208
074 Y000000 0
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 385925
076 000000 6.81
077 A000000 N
078 000000 N
<PAGE> PAGE 8
SIGNATURE DONALD C. BURKE
TITLE TREASURER
