728 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. Xll. 



above. It is somewhat difficult, without illuatrations, to describe our friend. 

 A deep full-bodied fish, something like a perch, body oblong, and more or less 

 compressed, with resplendent scales, high shoulders, a small and shapely 

 head, provided with very powerful tail and tins, lateral line in some species 

 wholly and in others only partially formed, of plate-like scales, each of 

 which is armed with a lateral spirate keen edge, and two dorsals. Ee is of a 

 distinctly pugnacious and omnivorous nature, appears always ready to be 

 booked, and like the Irishman always spoiling for a fight, and what is better 

 still, there is no trouble in finding him ; he is nearly always all over the place- 

 There are times and seasons just as at Aden, when the waters swarm with 

 the small sardines or fry of many sorts of fish, chiefly I believe of the Atheri- 

 nides, large quantities of which are caught in the nets, and are eaten by the 

 European and called "white bait," and then the "Khokhari" is at his busiest. 

 He will follow the shoals of small fish into the shallowest water, and a 

 very favourite place to angle from, and one of the best when the fry were 

 about, is the principal pier or landing place for Koss Island, b^tanding there 

 and looking down into the pellucid waters, one can see and almost count 

 every fish that comes near. Then a time comes when you see the ordinarily 

 white sandy bottom riouded and darkened in colour, and unless you were 

 prepared for it, you would hardly realise that the darknews was caused by 

 a dense mass of small fish. Such, however, is the case, and where these are, 

 our friend the Caranx is sure to be. 



Naturally also it follows that the very best bait for him at such 

 seasons is the sardine or smelt, and it should be just lightly hooked and 

 allowed to roam. Such a bait is irresistible, and many and many a good fish 

 have I had in this way. Of the two species noted above, the Caranx 

 carangus is by far the better. He grows much bigger, and is also the hand- 

 somer fish. In colour he ranges from a bluibh silvery sheen on the back, to 

 a golden colour below, and in season his fins appear to be of beaten gold. 

 Scales not particularly large, are inclined to be loose and come off easily, 

 while curiously enough at times they disappear altogether along the anterior 

 portion of the abdomen, and up to and around the pectoral fins ; and on 

 the smaller and immature fish are four or five vertical bands very like what 

 are seen on a perch. His size may be anything from 31bs. to 701bs, Very 

 ordinary fish run from IGlbs. to 2olbs. The record " Khokhari" was 



killed, 1 believe, in 1893 or 1894 by Lieut, A. of the 14th Madras 



Native Infantry while stationed there, and weighed T'Jlbs. This fish was 

 not caught from the pier, but a little further out, where the small station 

 steamer was lying at anchor. The officers on board were at breakfast. A 

 rod had been left over the side, when the bait was suddenly taken. Even- 

 tually Lieut. A, had to take to a dinghy and follow the fish about, 



but it was landed in the long run, after a contest lasting considerably over 

 an hour. Bait, 1 believe — but of this I am not quite sure now — was a half 



