BY THE REV. J. E. TENISON-WOODS. 205 



taken. In the Straits of Malacca it is at all times very numerous, 

 but is most common at Bombay. It occurs from Zanzibar to China, 

 in seas and estuaries, but is rather local. Thus it is not very 

 common at Madras, but augments in numbers up the Coromandel 

 coast, being very abundant in the rivers and estuaries of Bengal 

 and Burmah, and so on to the Straits. It is more rare at Java, 

 and uncommon at Batavia. It attains at least 16 inches in length. 

 The species figured is from Day's "Fishes of India," Vol. II. 

 Plate CXVIII., fig. 1. 



In the Maldive Islands the Bonito is prepared in a peculiar 

 way. The fish when caught has the backbone removed, and is laid 

 in the shade, being occasionally sprinkled with sea-water. When 

 softened by incipient decay it is wrapped up very tightly in palm- 

 leaves, and buried in the dry coral sand, when it becomes extremely 

 hard. The condiment thus produced is of a horny consistency 

 and goes by the name of Cummelmums. It is grated upon the 

 rice and gives it a flavour like that which parmesan cheese 

 gives to macaroni. 



Whale fishing. — Malay fishermen as well as the Chinese go 

 in pursuit of the Loma porpoise with gi-eat keenness, as the oil to 

 be derived from it is of considerable value. So also is it with the 

 Pari, or large Bay, which is found of large size upon the mud-banks. 

 They are secured by harpoons in the usual manner, the porpoise by 

 day and the skate by night. 



In this fishery no special appliances amongst the Malays are 

 known except that which comes in the general way of other kinds 

 of fishing, but the * Tijd.schrift voor Ned erlandscb -Indie ' for 1849 

 gives the following account of whale-fishing amongst the Solorese. 

 " Solor is a volcanic island between Flores and Timor with an 

 area of about 80 square miles. Its inhabitants are Bajow Malays 

 or sea-gipsies, besides mountain aborigines with a bad reputation. 

 The inhabitants of the coast ai'e fishermen, and live by cai:)turing 

 a small whale from which they extract the oil. 



"These inhabitants of the shore are hardy mariners and fishers, 

 and think nothing of approaching the whale with their little boats, 



