No. 2(1917) t^lSH mortalitV 57 



sign of Kedunir appeared, but on 20th September I sighted several 

 bright red patches moving northward at about half a mile from 

 the shore. Procuring a boat, the patches were found after a long 

 search, a mile off shore and samples obtained. The water of the 

 patch was found to be 1023 S.G. at 80° F., that of normally coloured 

 sea- water close by being identical. On examining the samples, 

 the organisms colouring them were found to consist of a nearly 

 pure gathering of Noctiluca ; in the containing jar they kept close 

 to the surface and there formed a dense layer nearly a quarter of 

 an inch thick, coloured a distinct pink. Fishermen called it Pun- 

 A'<7ra or " flower water" and asserted that it was a sign of the 

 early reappearance of poison water (Soinir, Karanir, or KcdiDiir). 

 While alive this scum of Noctiiiica gave out a strong and unpleasant 

 odour; with death, the smell decreased markedly. 



For some days thereafter heavy rain and overcast skies pre- 

 vailed and no sign of poison water appeared, then a transient 

 interval of fine weather supervened, and on 25th September news 

 was brought to me that Karanir had appeared and that dead crabs 

 and fish were coming ashore. Sure enough I found the beach 

 south of Cannanore littered with dead crabs (chiefly Neptunus pcla- 

 gicus) but the Karanir had disappeared with a sudden change of 

 weather. The specific gravity of the shore-water when examined 

 was found to be IO23 at 85° F. and contained a considerable 

 number of greenish Pm^/^/mw^ of two species {Gynniodiiiiuni spp.) 

 and a smaller number of brownish Euglenids- The former I thought 

 might possibly be the cause of the poison water, as " red-water " 

 containing hordes of a brownish Peridinian ( Gony aid ax poly gram ma) 

 is known to cause widespread mortality in Japan among fishes 

 and molluscs, and as I had seen Peridinian red-water at Tuticorin 

 causing limited mortality. The fishermen, however, asserted that 

 the true Karanir had disappeared and subsequent events showed 

 that Peridinians are not (at least usually) the cause of fish 

 mortality on the Malabar coast. 



A few days later we had another spell of fine sunny weather 

 and on 2nd October Kedunir was again reported, and this time 

 I was able to watch the whole sequence of events from the 

 commencement. As soon as I saw the water lapping on the 

 beach I recognized the olive-brown water I had seen in 1912 at 

 Calicut ; examination showed it to be swarming with the same 

 brownish yellow Euglenid to the exclusion of all else except a 



