Jit, i, iSSO.j l'H£ rUOPtCAt AGRlCULTURlSf. 



Si3 



mixture which contain autimouy, » cumulative poison. 



6. Various experiments were made by district medical 

 officers in Bengal, but none proved successful, Ihe 

 difficulty being to prevent the easy restoration of piire 

 salt from the mixture. The Chemical Examiner to 

 the Government of Bengal is of opinion that a sol- 

 Htion of the problem cannot be expected under the 

 conditions laid down, which in their entirety are im- 

 practicable. This view is concurred in by the Chemical 

 Examiner to the Government of the Punjab, and iu 

 Madras and Bombay it has been held that the problem 

 is insoluble. 



7. As already stated in the Resolution of 22nd 

 August, 18S3, the Government of India stillhopes that 

 a process may be discovered which, if not completely 

 satisfying all the conditions hithsrto prescribed, may 

 yet be sulticient for practical purposei. In this view, 

 the Governor-General in Council (is prepared to grant 

 a reward not exceeding R5,000 to the inventor or 

 discoverer of a process which will satisfy the main 

 conditions, namely («) that the cost of the proces» 

 must be moderate, not exceeding about 4 annas a maund, 

 and (Zi) the preparation must be such that edible salt 

 cannot be easily extracted from it by any of the ordinary 

 processes in use amongst native salt-workers. If 

 several gotitl processes are suggested the highest reward 

 will be given to the inventor of the process which may 

 appear to Government to be the most satisfactory 

 iu all respects, and a smaller proportienate reward 

 will be granted for the next best process. I'he details 

 of th» attempts hitherto made to discover a suitable 

 method of denaturalisation have been printed in the 

 form of a phamphlet, copy of which may be obtained 

 on application by persons who desire to make experi- 

 ments, — jiladras Times. 



ECONOMIC XATUKiVL HISTOET OF BUEMA. 



The Burmese possess a strong liking for animal 

 foods, but, being prohibited by their religion from 

 slaughtering domestic animals, they are reduced to 

 seeking their supplies from among the lower orders 

 of the headt world. Foremost in this respect come 

 the various kinds of fish and shell-fish, not only 

 from the sea and the rivers, but from inland pools 

 and flooded low-lands, which become teeming fishponds 

 during the annual inundations. 



Commencing with shellfish, the "ladies' slipper'' 

 oyster, or jinjouk (Ostrea cucullata), is edible and 

 pleasant when gathered in localities freely covered 

 by the waves ; but it is unwholesome, if not even 

 poisonous, when taken from spots that are exposed 

 for hours to the sun and air. The creek or rock 

 oyster, or kama (Ostrea talienwahensis), attains nearly 

 a foot in length, and flourishes in compact clusters 

 iufet below the level of spring tides, on solid ground, 

 whence it is detached by the aid of an iron bar. and 

 forms a wholef'ome article of food. A smaller kind, 

 called kameh, sometimes promoted to the dignity of 

 a separate species {O. circumsuta), is probably only 

 a diminutive variety. A large, handsome mussel, of 

 dark apple-green hue, highly esteemed as food, is 

 apparently Alytilus .smaragdinus. similar use is made 

 of several species of Area, which move about in the 

 mud of estuaries, and of some burrowing species of 

 Venus. 



In the backwaters along the coast, Hatula diphos 

 is found in abundance. It is much sought after for 

 food, its rapture being affected by thrusting a stick 

 into its hole in the sand. A species of razor shell 

 (Solen) lives vertically buried in the sand, and repays 

 the labour entailed m securing it by affording a 

 succulent dish. The boat-shpeila chitton nicobaricus 

 frequents surf-beaten rocks in company with limpets. 

 and is gathered for eating. A like end is served 

 by the ahahbew n'hyllanthus emblica). the " water 

 hen" or yejiet (a sepia sp.), and the "water monkey" 

 or yemyouk (Cistopus indicus) The last-named is 

 very common on the Aracan coast, ami is sought I 

 for in the pools left by the tide. Its retreat is iu- 

 dicatwl by a small h'lle in the aaml, surrounded by 

 {rsfiueDt* of crab ibeU, Xbe bait uaed i» a crufbed 



crab, secured by a string held in tho captor's left 

 hand ; when the animal is enticed out to seize the 

 bait, the fisherman stabs him with a bamboo spike 

 held in the right hand. Finally, a kind of squid 

 or cuttlefish (Argonauta owcnii) is utilised for f»od, 

 ;;5 some allied species are in the Levant. 



Turning to fishes proper, and commencing with the 

 bottom of the scale, the cockup or bekti (Lates 

 heptadactylus) holds an important place. The young 

 are distinguished as kakadit, and the adults aa 

 kathaboiiug. They are excellent eating when caught 

 beyond the influence of fresh water, salting well, and 

 contributinj: some of the best *' tamarind fish" of 

 India. The air vessel is thin, but affords good is- 

 inglass. The species of serranus yield edible flesh, 

 coarse when large. The name ngatouktu is given 

 to 8. malabaricus in Aracan. Tho species of Am- 

 bassis consist of little bony fishes generally much 

 less than 6 in. long. The ngazinzat (A. baculis) and 

 kyoungmasa (A. nalua) are eaten by the poor, and 

 easily dried without salt. A Datnioides (D. polota), 

 called ngakya and ngawetma, inhabiting tidal rivers 

 and estuaries, grows 1 ft. long, and is eaten by the 

 poor. The species of Gerres are little esteemed, on 

 account of want of flavour and bonj' character, but 

 are dried and salted in quantity — notably the ngawetsat 

 (G. filamentosus). The ngapathwon, or poradah (Scato- 

 phagus argus), is a foul feeder, but well flavoured 

 when caught at sea. The ngawa, or black rock cod 

 of Madras (Chrvsophrys berda), grows 30 in. long, and 

 is excellent eating. Cirrhites forsteri is a firm-fleshed 

 wholesome fish, Iri in. hng. The ngapongna, or man- 

 goe fish (Poljnemus paradiseus) grows 10 in. long, 

 and enters the rivers to spawn during |the y.-AV. 

 monsoon and the cold months. It is highly esteemed 

 as a delicacy, especially the roe. The ngatakhwoukha 

 (Trichiurus haumela) is delicate eating when fresh. 

 Of the pomfrets, the black, or ngapamoung (Stroma- 

 teus nigerj, grows 2 ft. long and is excellent food; 

 the while, or ngamu (8. sinensis), is less admired; the 

 grey (S. cinereus) attains over 1 ft. in length, and is 

 the most esteemed. A kind of seer fish, called kun- 

 shat (Cymbium guttatum), and another C. lineola- 

 turn are eaten dried. Light and wholesome food is 

 afforded by the ngarui (.Sillago sihama) and S. maculata, 

 which may be captured at all seasons. The ngathabok 

 (Gobius giuris i though possessing an earthy flavour, 

 much esteemed for food, and largely used for stock- 

 ing ponds. A Trypauchen (T. vagina) grows 9 in. long, 

 and is eaten by the poor. "Widely distributed and 

 excellent eating is a kinTl of spinncd eel, the ngamyu- 

 wedo (Khynchobdella aculeata). The ngamyuwedo 

 (Mastacembalus armatus) grows 2 ft. long, and is an 

 esteemed table fish; and the ngazyn {Mugil corsula), 

 reaching a length of lift., is similarly admired. A 

 small fish, seldom exceeding 8 in. long, is the ugabyema 

 (Anabas scaiidens), highly esteemed as nourishing 

 food. The ngayoung ( Arius burmaicus) is inferior as 

 food, but largely useil in a salted condition ; the 

 same may be said of the ngayeh (A. jatius). A 

 kind of butter fish nganuthan (Callichrous maeroph- 

 thalmus), is well-flavoured. The ngabat (M'allago 

 attu) attains a length of 6 ft., and is good eating. 

 The flesh of the ngagoo (Clarias magur) is reckoned 

 highly nourishing. Invigorating properties are .Tseribcd 

 to the flesh of the ngagyi (Saccobrauchus fossilis), 

 and tanks are often stocked with it. The ngakyin 

 (Cirrhina njrigala) grows 3 ft. long, and is an excellent 

 tank fisii. 'J'liu ngathaing (catia buchanani) attains 

 () ft. in length, and is a good fish for stocking tanks, 

 hut its llesb becomes coarse when the size exceeds 

 2 ft. 



The ngakhnng (Barbus Jchola; attains a length of 

 .5 in., but its flesh has a bitter flavour ; the same 

 remarks apply to the ngakhongma (B. stigma). Chela 

 clupeoides grows to in., and is good eating. A 

 kind of shad, th(^ ngatlialouk, ".s.Tble fish" or "hilsa" 

 (clupea ilishai a.'-ceuiitt the rivers to spawn, and when 

 taken full of roe is excellent eating, though rich, 

 but alter spawning it is unwholesome. Jlouopterus 

 jaianensis, found in fresh and brackish natvr. is es< 

 teemeii iur food, 



