THE GAME FISH OF MOMBASA AND MALINDI 69 
The Dolphin . — These brilliantly coloured and exceedingly 
game fish give the greatest fun on a light rod. They always 
move in shoals, and take greedily almost any moving bait. 
When fishing for them the natives have a number of spare 
lines ready baited, and when one is hooked these spare lines 
are immediately thrown overboard, and it is no uncommon 
sight to see every member of a boat’s crew fast in a fish at 
one and the same time. They play more out of the water 
than in, and a really big one (they grow to 30 lb.) should give 
exceptional sport. 
The Gar-fish . — Frequenting inland waters, in which they 
breed, more than most of our coastal game fishes, the gar-fish 
may be captured when rough weather at sea precludes other 
sport. He takes a spoon and other moving bait readily, and 
jumps clean out of the water when hooked. I do not know 
up to what weight this fish runs ; the biggest I have ever seen 
was one caught by Dr. Small at the entrance to Mombasa 
harbour, which weighed 8 lb. though over four feet in length. 
That they grow to a much larger size is evidenced by the 
fear in which they are held by the natives, who state that 
when being hauled up to a boat they leap straight at their 
captor, inflicting dangerous wounds with their long slender 
beak. This statement is vouched for by Dr. Massey of the 
East Africa Protectorate service, who told me that in the 
West Indies he had attended cases of dangerous wounds 
(resulting in one case in death) inflicted on native fishermen 
by gar-fish there. The flesh is very delicate, and can always 
be recognised on the table by its green bones. 
There appear to be two varieties in these waters. 
The Sword-fish . — This extraordinary-looking fish was 
first brought to my notice by Dr. Maula Bukhsh, medical 
officer at Malindi, who showed me a dorsal fin (cut from a 
recently killed specimen) which measured roughly three feet 
high by two feet long. This was a year ago, since when four 
others have been brought in to the Malindi market, one being 
the subject of the photo published. 
Unfortunately I was away at the time, and Mr. L. C. 
Wright, of the Survey Department, to whom I am indebted 
for the photo, omitted to take any measurements, but judging 
