TRE GAME IISHES OF THE FEIiSIAN GULF. 735 



anchor their dug-outs in the midst of the turmoil ; they all bottom-fish with 

 moran, and the collectis^e evening's catch would probably total 40 or 50 fish. 



Many a military castaway on this parched and desert sand-spit has been 

 rescued from the depths of mnid, when the thermometer stands at well over 

 90° in the shade and the wet bulb is nigh on saturation, by the sporting 

 proclivities of the Saran ; he can be crowned without prejudice as one of the 

 gamest fishes of the Persian Gulf, attaining a maximum weight of about 

 35 lbs. ; moreover his flesh would be welcomed on many a glittering board 

 in Mayfair. 



The remaining two species of genus Chovinemus that frequent the waters 

 of Jask closely resemble the Saran in make and shape ; they are both dis- 

 tinguishable, however, from Chorinemus b/san by the size of the lateral spots 

 which are much smaller and by the general build which is slighter. These 

 two species will be discussed conjointly as even the expert will find consi- 

 derable difficulty in dili'erentiating between them without making a close 

 scrutiny. Their local names are respectively — 



SusiNSiR, CJioyinemus smicti-petri and Zayrpur, Chorinemus moadetta. 



The following are the most prominent characteristics of these two 

 congeners : — 



Head. — The head of the Zayrpur is slightly concave in appearance, 

 whereas the median ridge of the Susansir is perceptibly convex. 



Body. — The body of the Zayrpur is more compressed than that of the 

 Susansir which is thicker laterally. 



Colours. — The lateral spots on both species would seem to vary from 

 three to six. In the Zayrpur there is a row below the lateral line whereas 

 in the Susansir there are no blotches below the lateral line. Before death 

 in the Zayrpur the pelvic fin is faintly tinged with yellow, which colour is 

 absent in the Susansir. After death the sides and belly of the Zayrpur 

 become splashed with yellow which extends from the c audal fin to extre- 

 mity of lower jaw and also includes the gill plates ; on the other hand the 

 Susansir does not shew this feature in anything approaching the same degree 

 if at all. The skin of the Zayrpur is much more leathery than that of the 

 Saran, and the flesh of either species is hardly so palatable as that of 

 Chorinemus lysan. 



Eye. — The eye of the Zayrpur is somewhat prominent, moreover in the 

 latter fish there is a singular hollow situated posteriorly to the eye and 

 superiorly to the gill plate. In the Zayrpur there is also a small adipose 

 lid situated posteriorly. 



Fins. Caudal. — In both species deeply forked. In the Zayrpur the anterior 

 dorsal is represented by six disconnected spines. The posterior dorsal is 

 tipped black and both lobes of the caudal are also black ; there is one black 

 spot on the anal, and the pectoral lins are black. Two short spines are 

 situated anteriorly to the anal fin. 



RemarTcs. — The description of the Susansir and the Zayrpur as set forth 

 in this paper shows a marked divergence from that contained in Day's 

 volumes. It will therefore be necessary to accept the author's identification 

 with reserve. It is hoped that some trained naturalist may discover the 

 means of confirming or discrediting the writer's diagnosis. 



Both the Susansir and the Zayrpur are reputed to attain a maximum 

 weight of about 6 lbs. Their staple diet is the matoot (whitebait) and it 

 is an exceedingly common spectacle at Jask to witness a drove of these 

 fishes ravaging a shoal of matoots, splashing about in pursuit of the terrified 

 sprats. They are most prohfic and when hooked put up an exceptionally 

 strong fight for their size ; of these two species of fish few specimens were 

 recorded, the reason being that the dimensions of the bait trolled were 

 usually too large to attract these diminutive game fish. 

 15 



