THE GAME FISHES OF THE PERSIAN GULF. 737 



Description. — 



Weiff/it.— 30 lbs. 



Length. — 4 ft. 8| inches. 



Girth, — 18 inches. 



Sjjcm of tail. — 12 inches. 



Teeth. — One row of flat lancet-like teeth in each jaw, the upper jaw closing 

 outside the lower jaw. There are villiform teeth on the vomer, palatines and 

 tongue. The extremities of the upper and lower jaws are co-terminate. 



Fins. — Anterior dorsals. — Consists of 12 spines connected with transparent 

 membrane ; the spines are delicate. 



Posterior dorsal — Commences about half way down the body. 



Anal — Situated opposite the posterior dorsal. 



Both the posterior dorsal and anal are continued towards the tail by a 

 series of 10 separate finlets. 



Pelvic. — Very small and fitting into a hollow in the chest. 



Pectoral. — -Is also small. 



Caudal. — Spineless characteristically forked. 



Lateral line is well defined, and if the finger be run across it, it will feel 

 distinctly ridged throughout its entire length. Its course is irregular 

 neither uniformly curved nor straight. At the free portion of the tail it 

 develops into a soft keel. 



Scales — Absent. 



Anus — Situated just anteriorly to anal fin. 



Colour. — The colour and marks are wholly typical of the mackerel ; steely 

 blue on the back with wavy lines on the back and sides, belly silvery. 

 The whole of the body is most beautifully iridescent, and this feature is 

 l^articularly noticeable while the fish is still in the water before being gaffed. 



Remarks — Of all the game-fishes of the Persian Gulf for elegance and be- 

 auty the button must be accorded to the Surmai. His torpedo-like shape 

 indicates a combination of power and speed, and this assumption is amply 

 borne out in actual life. One of the most captivating spectacles is to witness 

 at close quarters the leap of the Surmai. Surely he can be aptly styled the 

 '• cheetah of the ocean "? A school of mullet is basking on the surface 

 unconscious of danger that is lurking below. A hungry gourmand is slowly 

 slithering over the sandy sea-bed. Suddenly up shoots a gleaming flash. 

 Up and up he soars into the airy heights with the hapless victim struggling 

 cross-wise in his vice-like jaws, 8 feet, 10 feet, even 12 feet, a twitch of 

 the mighty tail and down he glides with the grace of an expert diver. 



As a rule when a Surmai takes a bait he never breaks water, nor has the 

 writer ever witnessed a Surmai jump after being hooked. However the 

 initial leap depends entirely on the distance of the lure beneath the sur- 

 face. One incident will always remain indelibly fixed in the author's 

 memory. He was out may be in 20 fathoms of water and had just felt a 

 touch. While the dinghy was being gently paddled along the line was 

 being reeled in to examine the bait. The mullet was within five yards of 

 the boat, and was skating along the surface. The conditions for observa- 

 tion were perfect, a crystal-clear ocean, and a calm sea, and the author 

 had his eye fixed intently on the spinner ; for at such times often and 

 often is some form of finny life espied shadowing the lure. The writer sa2u 

 nothing except a momentary streak of silver until he realized that his bait 

 was 10 feet in the air, and that he was gazing into the open jaws of a 

 gargantuan Surmai, which appeared to be on the point of descending on to 

 the tip of his nose. It is better to take 40 lbs. of lissome steel in the neck 

 than full in the face especially when it is mixed up with three stout treble 

 hooks, and is furnished with a mouth like a gin trap ! A hunched-up back 

 was hastily presented as a target to this serial torpedo, but next instant 



