BY THE REV. J. E. TENISON-WOODS. 55 



which, he says, he had nowhere else observed." See also Nat. 

 Hist. Fishes of Massachusetts by Dr. J. V. C. Smith, Boston, 

 U.S., 1833. See also Semper's 'Animal Life,' Chap. II., p. 64, 

 and Note 13, p. 414. 



The Tripang Fishery. — Esculent Holothurians are found 

 throughout the whole of the Indian Archipelago, through the 

 Moluccas along the Australian coast, and through most of the 

 warmer parts of the Pacific, in fact in nearly every place where 

 coral reefs are extensively developed. The word tripang is Malay, 

 but there are various names for the same animal in all the islands of 

 the Indian region. In Visayan and Tagalo it is Tafyyan, but another 

 quality is called Munang. In Celebes it is called Siwala and Tripang 

 as well. There are other names, too, used in the trade which are 

 partly corruptions of Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese, such as 

 Balate, Kikisan, Ginseng, &c. The Chinese call it Hoi-Sham and 

 Hai-Shin, the white variety Pah- or Peh-Hoi-Sham, the black 

 Hak- or Heh-Hoi-Sham, the red Hung- Hoi-Sham. As far as my 

 observation extends, the tripang fishery is not extensively followed 

 anywhere near the Straits of Malacca. There is more of it, 

 perhaps, in Borneo and to the north of that island where the 

 coral reefs are very extensive. Tripang does not seem to be 

 abundant apart from coral reefs. 



The most extensive employment of Malays in this fishery is off 

 the coast of Australia. Every year at the proper season, that is 

 during the north-west monsoon, a fleet of 200 to 400 prahus leave 

 the different parts of Celebes and some of the Moluccas for the 

 Australian coasts, where they pursue the tripang fishery for some 

 months. It would seem that this annual expedition has gone on 

 from time immemorial, and no doubt, as Flinders remarks, nature 

 has to some extent been modified by the intercourse. Possibly 

 this is the origin of the rice-plant which is found in North 

 Australia, the bean (Phaseolus) and the bamboo, besides several 

 Indian weeds and food-plants. Flinders met a party of these 

 fishermen in February, 1802. They were from Macassar, and 

 mustered about 60 prahus. The object of their expedition was 

 tripang, which they obtained by diving in from three to eight 



