THE GAME FISHES OF THE PERSIAN GULF I '27 



Pectoral. — Short soft and rayed. 



There are "no spines anywhere. 



Colour after death. Flanks tinged with light gold from tail to head 

 including gill plates ; pectoral greenish yellow ; pelvic distinct lemon 

 yellow ; anal and as far as anus, which is .V way between anal and pelvic, 

 bright lemon yellow ; fringes tipped yellow green; lower parts pomegranate; 

 caudal tipped yellow green. 



Lateral line. — Curved slightly upwards from gill plates and gradually 

 descends to tail. 



Scales. — Small, and skin thick. 



Remarks. — The tengun's maximum weight would be about 6 lbs. 



Let us now proceed to the investigation of a variety of sea-fishes which 

 i.s familiar to most of us by name both in temperate and tropical waters. 

 Reference is made to the breams. Day divides the family of 



SPARID^ 



into 6 genera, of which two are represented at Jask. The most common 

 genus is 



Pagras, 



and this genus possesses only one individual species in Indian waters 

 which is locallj' termed the 



Cooper. 

 Pagrus spinifer. 



The following description will serve to fix the identity of this bream. 



Weit/ht.—r) lbs. 



Lerifjth. — From tip of nose to cleft of fork in caudal 1 ft. 7f inches. 



Head. — Large. There is a characteristic protruberance in some fish ou 

 the median line between the eyes. According to local report this bump is 

 pecidiar to the male fish. 



Eyes — Large. 



Teeth. — Two rows of conical teeth on either side of both the upper and 

 lower jaws, in addition 4 conical incisors in front ou both jaws absent on 

 palate. 



Fins-dor ■fal. — Ts divided into two portions ; anterior portion consists of 

 10 spines connected with transparent membrane, the posterior portion con- 

 sists ot 10 connected rays. 



Caudal. — Forked, span about equal to 5 of length of fish. 



Anal. — Th'-ee spines anteriorly remainder rayed. 



Pectoral. — Narrow and remarkably long ; first spine which is exceedingly 

 stout almost equals span of caudal. 



Pe'vic. — Narrow and slightly more than ~ span of caudal. 



Lateral lin°. — Is well-detined. 



Scales. — Small and transparent. 



Odour. — The head has a gdt sheen overlying a pinky red hue, which 

 extends along the back to the tail ; the dorsal and caudal is edged 

 brick-red 



Remorkx. — The cooper is only a cold weather visitant to Jask, and when 

 the angler happens to strike a shoal the fun is fast and furious. Th3 maxi- 

 mum growth to which this fish attains is probably lo lbs., but a 10 lbs. fish 

 is a fine specimen. On occasions when the report spread that the cooper 

 were in, a paity of anglers would organize an outing in the cutter ; and 

 the picnic would also be enlivened by the presence of eight or ten villagers 

 in their dug-outs. The capture of a cooper was known to one and all by 

 the sound of its being banged on the head with an improvised " priest." 



