ICUTUYOLOQY. 



221 



pectoral briKlit ydlnw. ]1"rsal yellowish, tii)l)eil with lilaek. Ventral ami anal 

 finely dotted witii black, in large specimens of 12 inches from the Andamans tliere 

 are 5 to 8 lonjjitndiiial bands, the nppermost broken up into spots, and usnally a golden 

 band along the lateral lino and two more below it. Grows to 10 inches on the coast 

 — or, if the Andaman specimens are the same species, to 12 or more. 



S. BRACHTsoji.v, Blcckcr. 



B. vii. ; D. 10 -h + V. ; P. 22 ; V. \ ; A. tV + v. ; C. 21. 



Eosembles S. microlepidutm, except that there arc two shining light spots above 

 and behind either eye, and the .spinous dorsal is posteriorly edged with black. 



The Andamans. 



The 'scombers' or Mackerels deposit their eggs in the open sea, hence their 

 young are rarely seen on the coast. 



Here follows the genus Thynnus, embraiiiig tlie • Tnniiii's' and ' Bunilos,' which 

 are excellent for food. They "are very voracious, remarks Day, and uuiy_ often be 

 observed in ' schools ' pursuing the Exocdi (Hying fisli) or Clupeid,/: (Sardines), etc. 

 As food tlicy are moderately approved of, as when fresh their flesh sometimes causes 

 visceral derangement, but they are largely salted or tkied, both in Europe and Asia. 



Cyjibium, CiH-icr. 



' Seer fishes.'' 



Eranchiostegals 7. PseudobranchiiE. Teeth large and strong in the jaws. 

 Yilliform on the vomer, palatines, and tongue. Two dorsal tins. Seven or more tinlets 

 behind the soft dorsal and anal tins. 



The seer fishes of India, remarks Day, are considered among the most delicate 

 of the marine forms for the table. Under a foot in length, they are apt to be dry, 

 but when from li to 2| feet in length are at their best. Above this size, again, 

 their flesh becomes coar.sc. They also salt well, and make excellent ' tamarind flsh,' 

 as fi.sh are called when prepared or pickled with tamarind pulp. 



C. GUTTATUM, Bl. Schn. 

 C. Uneohttum, Cantor. 



Kun-shat. 



B. vii. ; D. 1617 -iV-iV + viii.-x. ; P. 21 ; V. i ; A. tt^tu + vii.-ix. ; C. 26. 



Teeth lancet-shaped, laterally compressed, distant 10 to 12 in either jaw, longer 

 in the lower. The keel on the lateral line well developed. Colour bluish above, 

 silvery below. Three rows of round or liorizontally oval spots along the back and 

 sides. Tlie dorsal web, from the first to the eighth spine, black, the rest pure white, 

 edged with black. Grows to 3 feet or so. 



Tavoy coast. 



Four other species inluibit the Indian seas : C. lut/ilii, Cuv. et Val. ; C. iiiter- 

 rupliim, Cuv. et Val. ; C. Commersonii, Lacep. ; and C. lineolatum, Cuv., which 

 last, Mason says, is largely dried at Tavoy. 



Last in the family of ' Scombers ' comes the singular genus Echeneis or 

 ' sucking fish,' with flat heads, covered by an adhesive or pneumatic disk. This 

 disk is formed by a modification of the first dorsal fin, and by its means the 

 fish attaches itself fiiinly to any smooth surface. They commonly attach themselves 

 to sharks, so as to have been regarded as parasitic on those creatures. They were 

 also supposed to be endowed with the power of arresting vessels at full speed, which 

 is a fable no doubt founded on their attaching themselves frequently to them. 



" Parva Echeneis adest (mirum) mora puppibus ingens." — Odd, Halieuticon. 



A curious use to which the Echeneis is sometimes put is to catch turtle and 

 large fish. A cord is fastened round the fish's tail, and it is then ' slipped ' as 

 it were at the turtle. The terrified fish at once fixes on the turtle, which is then 

 hauled up and secured. This curious method of fishing is said to have been found 

 in use in Cuba by Columbus, and is also stated by Dampier and Commerson to be 



