NO. 2(1917) FISH MORTALITY 65 



increase gradually till rough weather supervenes when the mass 

 becomes broken up and scattered and thus ceases to be a focus of 

 death. 



So far as my observations go, they favour the view held by 

 Mr. Nishikawa already referred to, that Noctilitca is not an active 

 agent in causing fish mortality. I have seen it in great profusion 

 colouring considerable areas bright pinkish red both off Cannanore 

 and in Palk Bay and in neither locality did I find any associated 

 with fish mortality nor would any of the fishermen accuse it of 

 evil influence ; they agreed in declaring it to be innocuous. At 

 Cannanore it is called Punkara (" flower-water "), while at Tirupala- 

 kudi it is known as Valkarai (" stain-streaked water "). 



On several occasions both at Cannanore and at Calicut, there 

 were great numbers of Noctiluca present, especially near the 

 surface ; in one instance only did I find it reproducing actively by 

 sporulation and it is noteworthy that in this instance the 

 individuals were ingesting the accompanying euglenids in great 

 numbers. 



The masses of jelly-cased resting euglenids which accumulate 

 on the bottom form an important food source of the oil sardine 

 (C. lougiceps) and hence possess an important economic value as an 

 offset to the mortality they occasionally entail among fishes. 



I should mention that unlike Noctiluca and Peridinians gene- 

 rally, these euglenids do not emit any appreciable bad odour 

 while alive. 



Incidentally this enquiry furnished a satisfactory explanation 

 of a curious incident in the siege of Cannanore in 1507 that has 

 long puzzled historians. In the year named, the Portuguese, not 

 long arrived in India, were besieged in the fort of San Angelo by 

 the Kolattiri Raja and the Zamorin of Calicut with an army of 

 60,000 Nayars. After a lengthy siege the garrison were reduced 

 to the greatest straits and lived on lizards, rats, cats and other 

 animals. "On the 15th August, however, a miraculous event 

 occurred, seemingly in answer to the prayers of the besieged to the 

 Queen of Heaven, whose feast day it chanced to be, for the sea 

 sent forth shoals of crabs and prawns, and the garrison again 

 lived in plenty." So says Logan in his "Manual of Malabar,"^ 

 an explanation which is undoubtedly correct, in spite of the fact 



** Logan, \\\, Malabar, 2nd edition, page 316, Madras, 1906. 



