40 FISHERIES OF THE ORIENTAL REGION, 



natives, on account of its delicate flavor : indeed it is said to be 

 the most palatable fish known (in India). It is a small fish, not 

 exceeding nine inches in length, yet ten will fetch a rupee at the 

 beginning of the season. They are comparatively rare in Penang 

 and Singapore. I know of no especial Malay name for them. 



Mullets (Mugil) are common at certain seasons in the fresh- 

 water rivers. They are are called ' Jumpel ' by the Malays, and 

 Wong-mi-tsai or Uyu-t'au by the Chinese. No fish are more 

 highly valued by the Chinese in Malaysia, on account of the great 

 quantity of oil they contain ; but they are too rich for most 

 Europeans, who in that climate can scarcely ever eat them with 

 safety. 



There are many other much-prized table fishes in India, which 

 are either not known or not appreciated in Malaysia, with the 

 exception of .the "Bombay Duck/' which the Indians call Bummaloh, 

 and the Malays Luli. It belongs to the family of Scopelidae, and 

 is the Harpodon nehereus of ichthyologists. It is highly esteemed 

 as food, whether fresh or salted. But it is best known as a relish 

 for curries called Bombay Duck. In this case the dried fish is 

 parched upon a pan and eaten dry with the curry. It is very 

 palatable, in flavour much like the dried caplins of Newfoundland 

 and Labrador. 



The Bombay Duck, before it is salted and dried, is a fish of most 

 voracious habits, gorging itself with its own species, Crustacea, or 

 fishes of nearly its own size. So that if the reason why it is called 

 Bombay Duck be buried in mystery, one can explain the irony of 

 fate which assigns its office to the luxurious and overfed Anglo- 

 Indian. Naturalists tell us that it is frequently found, like our 

 own species, with its stomach and jaws distended with prey, so 

 that we hear without surprise that it is very short-lived. It does 

 not live nearly so long as two other species of Harpodon, though 

 at certain seasons, as a kind of indemnification for the brevity of 

 its stay, the whole body becomes brilliantly phosphorescent. 

 Gourmets assure us, that for stomachs that^can bear its richness, 

 it is a fish of most luscious flavour if eaten immediatelv after it is 



