THE GAME FISHES OF THE PERSIAN GULF. 747 



to hunt the Hour. They are taken in drift nets at night, and salted for 

 home eonsuniption, and for export to the Arab littoral. 



Kharkoor. Bc'lone annulata ox charum or melanostir/ma. 



This fish is the commonly-known garfish, and is distinguished from the 

 remaining three species mentioned by Day by its forked caudal. It is a 

 very attenuated fish with a pair of beaked jaws furnished with sharp pointed 

 teeth. It is caught in large numbers by the locals in their white-bait drag- 

 nets, and is excellent eating, a peculiarity being its green back-bone. 

 Owing to its narrow mouth it is probably incapable of tackling the ordinary 

 sized mullet or moran which are used for trolling for the other species of 

 Jask surface-feeders. Even so on Tarpon tackle it would furnish no sport 

 although it might attain 7 to 8 lbs. in weight. 



Dahi. (Species undetermined.) 



The Dahi is a bright silvery fiish with an exceedingly compressed body and 

 large eye. it is included in the list of surface-feeding game fishes as it 

 occasionally takes a trolled bait, but such an incident is of rare occurrence. 

 Its capacity for leaping is most remarkable. Up it will shoot at an angle of 

 45° to a height of 8 or 10 feet as rigid as if it were a piece of bar-silver out 

 for an aerial reconnaissance. Frequently it will sail over the boat and its 

 globular eye gives the impression that- it has just missed a tragic fate by a 

 scale's breadth ! The Dahi attains a maximum weight of about 6 lbs., but 

 its flesh is quite unfit for table purposes owing to its bony anatomy. 



SuKHULLA. (Species undetermined.) 



It is impossible to speak with any authority on the subject of the identity 

 or habits of this fish except that he would appear to be an open-sea variety 

 and may belong to genus Echeneis. During nearly two years angling at 

 Jask only one individual fish of this species was hooked sufficiently for the 

 boatmen to recognise his tribe, and to the great disappointment of the 

 writer this one and solitary Sukhulla succeeded in breaking the piano wire 

 of the flight and so escaped an impending fate, in about 15 to 20 fathoms 

 of water. Tha.t he fought valiantly for his size (about 10 lbs.) is unques- 

 tionable, but at the same time a further and closer acquaintance is desirable 

 before he can be admitted as an honourable member of the illustrious 

 community of game-fishes. 



BOMBIL. 



The etymology of the local names of fishes frequently opens up a wide 

 vista of speculation. Thiis the " Pirao " of the Persian Gulf is the " Parah " 

 of Madras and the Andamans ; but who acted as god-father to the 

 "Pirao?" So it is with the Bombil, but in his case conjecture is less 

 nebulous. Here is the Bombils genealogical tree. 



Family = SC0PELID..5]. 



Genus = Harpodon. 



Species = Harpodon nehereus. 



In plain language Bombil is the far-famed '•' Bombay Duck " ! The 

 question will at once be asked : — 



" Do you seriously intend to include the Bombil in the charmed circle 

 of game-fishes ? " 

 Let the reader decide for himself. One Bombil weighing 7^ oz. icas 

 caught trolling on a mullet almost as long as the Bombil itself. A Bombil 



