60 FISHERIES OF THE ORIENTAL REGION, 



generally adopted, except by the Malays and Chinese. The methods 

 are very simple : a low bamboo shed thatched with leaves is erected 

 with two tiers of open drying frames. The fish are placed on the 

 lower ones, about three feet above a trench as long as the building, 

 nearly as wide as the frames and two feet deep. This is kept 

 filled with burning wood. The slugs are split up, eviscerated, 

 washed in fresh water, and placed first upon the lower frames, and 

 then upon the upper until they are dry, care being taken not to 

 scorch or cook them. They are stowed away in bags, and great 

 care must be exercised in drying them from time to time in the 

 sun, as damp and mould easily destroy them. The following 

 directions for scalding tripang are taken from Simmonds' " Com- 

 mercial Products of the Sea," p. 110. 



"Bacolongon and Kih-kih-san will require to be boiled about 

 five minutes or more, if the pot is nearly full ; they should be 

 well stirred, and should be taken out when thoroughly heated 

 through, by which time they will feel quite hard and elastic. The 

 cut part of the fish, when properly boiled, should be of a blue and 

 amber color. The Talipan and Munang require to be boiled fully 

 ten minutes. The Munang dries very quickly ; but the Talipan 

 is very difficult to cure, and often requires two boilings before it 

 will dry. The Zapatos china requires to be boiled about 15 

 minutes ; if properly boiled it will dry very quickly. The Balate 

 bianco and Matan need very little boiling, say three or four 

 minutes, if the pot is nearly full. They should be taken out as 

 soon as they shrink and are throughly heated through. The 

 Hanganas should be boiled about 20 minutes. This sort must be 

 very carefully handled when raw, as it will break in pieces if held 

 any time in the hand. It appears to me that there are two ways 

 of boiling beche-de-mer equally good. The first is to take them 

 out when boiled about a minute, or as soon as they shrink and 

 feel hard ; the other method is to boil them as before stated ; but 

 in boiling either way, the slugs ought, if properly cooked, to dry 

 like a boiled egg immediately on being taken out of the pot." 



It is further added that much care is required to prevent broiling 

 or blistering, but too little heat will render it liable to get putrid in 



