MALAYAN FISHES. 27 
THREAD FINS. 
(POLY NEMIDAE.) 
These fish are all excellent as food and from some rough ising- 
lass or fish sounds are obtained. 
One of our Kurau (Polynemus paradiseus) is the Tupsi fish 
of India and the Mango fish of Burma. This small fish which 
attains a length of about 9 inches only, is considered a great luxury 
both in India and Burma. It has very long filaments, longer than 
itself, proceeding from each side, just below the pectoral fins. 
The common Kurau (P. indicus) attains a length of 4 feet 
and about 20 Ibs. in weight. 
The Kurau janggut (P. fetradactylus), which is also known 
on the Queensland coast by the very unsuitable name “ Cooktown 
Salmon,” grows to a very large size. 
Day quotes Hamilton Buchanan as observing “I have been 
assured by a creditable native that he saw one which was a load for 
six men and which certainly therefore exceeded in weight 320 
pounds avoirdupois.” 
BARRACUDAS. 
(SPHYRAENIDAE.) 
The Alu-Alu are carnivorous and highly voracious fishes 
which give good sport with a trolling bait or spinner, 
Cantor mentions two species only, S. jello and S. obtusata, as 
inhabiting the seas off Penang and Singapore but I have a snap- 
shot of one taken by me off Pahang which does not agree with Day’s 
plates of either of these fish and is I think S. novae-hollandiae. 
It is more than probable that other species will be discovered in 
these waters. 
A well known American game fisherman from Honolulu who 
visited Singapore recently recognised the fish both in the Singapore 
market and from the photograph as the Alu-alu of Hawaii. 
Roughley! writes of Sphyraena novae-hollandiae, 
“ The Short-finned Pike is an edible fish of very consider- 
able value and is deservedly popular, though it has probably 
never been tasted by a-very great portion of the community. 
“Tt forms one of a too numerous collection of very 
valuable table fishes which are scarcely utilised, owing to the 
unenterprising methods adopted in their capture.” 
1 Fishes of Australia. 
