122 
SOME NOTES ON FISHES IN 
his contributions) lay anything like due stress on the wonderful 
chances which that port offers to the sea angler. 
I enjoyed rather unusual luck there, since, on my first visit, 
in January, I was so fortunate, in only a few outings with Dr. 
Small and other residents, as to catch koli-koli of sixty-four,, 
fifty-five (this one on my first day) and thirty-eight lbs., and 
nguru up to twenty-four. Both of these fishes — the former, 
the 4 bayardo ’ of Port Sudan and the 4 kokara ’ of Bombay 
waters, and the latter strongly suggestive of the Indian seer — 
give good sport, the koli-koli being instantly recognisable, long 
before it is actually seen, by its curious habit of first fighting 
in circles, like a boxer revolving about an antagonist, and then 
boring headlong like our pollack. These fish are taken in deep 
water at the back of the reef, trolling with natural or artificial 
bait, and going five or six knots, but, curiously enough, tho 
largest and most powerful fish of all that I hooked — our rela- 
tions terminated a few moments later — was what, from earlier 
memories, I assume to have been a monster barracouta that 
took a spoon inside the reef, a little north of Mombasa harbour 
and in only a very few feet of water. At any rate, it ran out 
close on a hundred and fifty yards of tarpon line, heading 
straight for the coral barrier with tremendous splashing and 
seemingly dashing along the surface. As there was some little 
delay in getting down the sail (and we were running at the 
time before a strong breeze), it was quite impossible to save 
so heavy a fish. I never remember a barracouta, of which I 
have caught scores elsewhere, behaving in this fashion, but it 
must be borne in mind that the manoeuvring of a big fish 
hooked in shallow water is always in marked contrast from 
its tactics in the greater freedom of sufficient depth to 4 sound 9 
in. Further effort on the part of those interested in sea-fishing 
will probably reveal the occurrence, at any rate at intervals, 
of tuna and albicore, with other game fishes, at Mombasa, but 
at present the catches on rod and line appear to have been 
limited to the three aforementioned, with the addition of the 
dolphin ( Coryphcena ) or 4 filussi.’ 
Turning to the rivers and lakes, the angler (whose interests, 
and not those of the curator, are being considered in these 
few notes) has the choice of only a very few fishes, though 
