732 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATUBAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol. XXI F. 



On another afternoon the writer's second boatman presented 

 hhn with a couple of Shahbeni of about 5 lbs. each in weight. 

 He had a curious tale to unfold. As he was casting his net 

 for bait for the evening's expedition he espied two Shahbeni disport- 

 ing themselves in about 3 feet of water in close proximity to a half- 

 submerged and battered dhow, a capture during the arms trafl&c operations. 

 With the aid of a youth he got these fish so filled with panic that they 

 dashed into the hull of the wreck, where they were promptly made captive ! 

 This villager was questioned at the time whether it was not an extraordi- 

 nary coincidence that there were two Shahbeni in company, but he affirmed 

 that such an occurrence was in no way abnormal. Of the fighting qualities 

 of the Shahbeni there can be no two opinions ; the maximum weight to which 

 this species attains might be set down as 25 lbs. but a 10 lb. fish will put 

 up a well-contested tussle. There is one further attribute to which this 

 species can lay claim — its flesh is delicious ; truly the Shahbeni ranks high 

 on the list of the game fishes of the Persian Gulf. 



The next species of Caranrc to which reference will be made is the 



DuBsi. Carcm.v carancjusiy) 



It is a matter for regret that no detailed description was taken of this 

 fish when the author was at Jask, but during the last 18 months of resi- 

 dence there not a single individual of this species was hooked ; a few notes 

 were however jotted down in the fishing diary and these rough records are 

 now given in default of a fuller and more reliable statement. 



The Dubsi is very similar to a Pirao, but the following difii"erences are 

 noticeable: — 



Head is not so convex and the eye is smaller. 



Body hardly so deep. 



General cliaracteristica . — The body is covered with very tine scales, all fins 

 are brightly marked with lemon-yellow except the anterior dorsal. Of the 

 caudal the lower lobe is lemon yellow ; the upper lobe is tinged lemon 

 yellow at base but the tip is black. The maximum weight to which this 

 species attains is about 10 lbs. 



Remarks. — Like all the other surface-feeding members of the genus 

 Caranx the Dubsi is a gamey little wight ; the two individual fish whose 

 capture was recorded were both taken close inshore in two to three 

 fathoms of water. It is probable that if a smaller bait had been used this 

 species would have figured more frequently in the table of catch ; the 

 objective of the writer, however, was always the Pirao, so the smaller 

 species had, perforce, to take their chance. The flesh of the Dubsi, up to 

 5 lbs. in weight at any rate, is quite palatable. 



We now come to the last species of surface-feeding Caranx in the form of 

 the 



Papeel. Caranx gallus. 



Once again it must be admitted that the writer procrastinated, and 

 beyond recording the distinguishing features of this fish no elaborate 

 notes were taken. The following extract is culled from the angling 

 diary: — 



" His characteristics are long streamers to his posterior dorsal and anal 

 fins ; he is brilliantly iridescent and has a gold and blue sheen on him in 

 certain lights.'" 



With the Papeel it is a case of "once seen never forgotten," and the image 

 of this fish as it is impressed on the writers' memory coincides exactly 

 with the plate which Day gives in his Fishes of India. The single 

 specimen that was creeled was taken on a mullet ; evidence tends to shew 



