208 ^^6 Philippine Joumal of Science 1917 



Bah sam, or che bah sain {Plate IV, fig. 8). — The convoluted 

 trepang, bat gamat. This form is light bro\^Ti, of moderate 

 size, and greatly convoluted when dry. It is found in shallow 

 water and is of comparatively little value, being worth only from 

 10 to 12 pesos per picul. 



Choo bah sam {Plate IV, fig. 12). — Also called bot gamat. 

 This is a third-class trepang with the skin considerably rough- 

 ened with spicules. It is of medium size, light brown below, 

 darker above, and is valued at from 7 to 16 pesos per picul, 

 depending chiefly upon the size. 



An tiow sam {Plate IV, fig. 11) . — This is a name often applied 

 to all of the third-grade trepang and includes a number of spe- 

 cies. The name, however, is more properly applied to the rough, 

 spiculate brown trepang sho'v^Ti in figs. 10 and 12. This species 

 is very common and is often used to adulterate the shipments of 

 better grades of trepang. Its value is from 8 to 9 pesos per 

 picul. 



Thoot sam {Plate IV, fig. 13). — The skin of the thoot sam is 

 white and is covered with numerous chalky spicules. It is a 

 common shallow-water trepang of the third class and is valued 

 at about 10 pesos per picul. 



Thoot ah sam {Plate IV, fig. H). — This is a very small tre- 

 pang ; it is dark or brown above and white below. It is common 

 on almost all reefs in the Sulu Sea and is valued at 8 pesos per 

 picul, 



Thang sam {Plate IV, fig. 9). — Bot jadish. This is a long 

 black trepang, of little value because of its thin body walls. It 

 is used chiefly to adulterate shipments of better grades. It is 

 a very common shallow-water form, valued at from 6 to 10 pesos 

 per picul. 



METHODS OF PREPARING TREPANG 



Trepang are gathered at low tide. The fisherman usually 

 walks along the reef, carrying a single-pronged spear with which 

 he transfixes the animals. In deeper water it is necessary to 

 dive for them. The best grades are usually in water from 3.5 

 to 6 meters deep or even deeper. In some places small dredges 

 could be operated with advantage. 



After the trepang are gathered, they are taken to the curing 

 station and cared for promptly; otherwise they become a blub- 

 bery, unsavory mess within a few hours. They are first placed 

 in a pot or caldron of water (an oil tin would answer the purpose) 

 and boiled for twenty minutes (some require less time). When 

 taken out of the boiling water, they should be hard and elastic 



