MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 1101 



No. XXXVIII.— HOE SE-MACKEREL ATTACKING JELLY FISH. 



In the book entitled "The Story of Life in the Seas"' by S. J. Hickson. 

 F.Ii.S., page 100^ he mentions that it is very probable that none of the Fish 

 will feed upon a transparent Jelly fish. Whilst the P. & O. S.S. "■ Arcadia." 

 was moored in the Inner Harbour of Aden last March, and on a very 

 calm day, I and several of the other officers saw the following. 



A large number of purple Jelly fish were round the ship and on the 

 surface, each one about one foot across the back and all with very long- 

 tentacles ; suddenty a small shoal of Horse-mackerel {Caran.r sp.) dashed at 

 one of these Jelly fish and began tearing and biting off the tentacles and 

 apparently eating them ; the Jelly fish could do nothing and was turned 

 over and until at last there was nothing left but the upper part of the belly 

 (body) ; then this shoal made for and attacked another in the same way, 

 whilst other shoals were killing three luore Jelly fish. The Horse-mackerel 

 were only about 6 inches long, and our native crew caught quite a number 

 of them. It is strange, as I believe the Jelly fish is quite a foster mother 

 to very young Horse-mackerel, dozens of them are to be seen swimming 

 about the tentacles of large Jelly fish, where they seem to get for 

 protection. 



F. H. S. STONE. 

 P. & O. S.S. •' Akcabia," 

 HoNG-KoxG, China, February 1912. 



