IN BORNEAN FORESTS [chap. 



I have only heard of one truly poisonous fish, which cannot be 

 eaten without dangerous and often fatal effects. This is the " ikan 

 buntal pisang " (Tetrodon sp.H), which is also notable for the singular 

 sound it produces with its beak-like jaws. I have been told that 

 in this case the eggs are the poisonous part, and if they are removed 

 the fish can be eaten with impunity. 



With the exception of the " ikan buntal," the poison in fishes, 

 according to the Malays, is localized in the mucus or slime which 

 covers their bodies, and, getting into the wounds or punctures made 

 by the spines, is the cause of the well-known inflammatory symp- 

 toms, often exceedingly painful, but without dangerous consequences. 

 But even here there are, it seems, exceptions, and some of these are 

 several species of " ikan pare," or sting rays (Trygon), the large 

 serrated spines of whose tails produce dangerous and sometimes 

 fatal wounds ; for they easily get broken, and by means of the minute 

 barbed spines continue to burrow into the tissues, and if not 

 extracted may eventually cause the death of the patient. 



There are various sound-producing, or, as the natives put it, 

 " talking fishes," in the Sarawak. The following were described to 

 me as coming under this head : " Ikan bengot," " gurut," " lundu," 

 "uttit," "bilokan," "jahan," " n'kalang," " quaggok," " bianto," 

 called also " bettot," or " pupput." 1 



Amongst other ichthyological peculiarities there is a fish in Sara- 

 wak which is used to detect thieves. It is the " ikan s'luan," and 

 the belief is that if the eyes of a person who has stolen are touched 

 with this fish, he becomes blind, whilst the sight of an innocent person 

 would suffer no harm. In all probability the fish is quite harm- 

 less, and the effect it may or may not produce depends on the art or 

 malice of the person applying this singular judicial ordeal, which 

 few persons are, indeed, considered to administer with success. 

 The fishes to be thus used are exhibited for a time to the public, and 

 previously undergo special ceremonies. 



In order to complete my collection of fishes, I went down to 

 Santubong between July 27th and 29th, and, making use of tuba, en- 

 deavoured to capture fish by poisoning the waters of a small stream 

 which flows by the village. The quantity thus caught was not great, 

 but I was able to add several species to my collection. The Malays 

 apply the name of tuba to various vegetable substances, fruits, roots, 

 and bark, which are employed to stupify fish by being placed in the 

 water. In our countries the fleshy part of green walnuts and some 

 euphorbias and other plants are used in a similar manner. At 



1 Most of the fishes I collected in Sarawak have been studied by my good 

 friend the able ichthyologist, Dr. Vinciguerra. All were labelled with slips 

 of vellum, on which the native name was written ; but, unfortunately, a long 

 sojourn in spirits quite obliterated the writing, and it is now impossible for 

 me to assign to any of them their scientific or Malayan names. 



24O 



