20 FISHERIES OP THE ORIENTAL REGION, 



Clupea ilisha, Russell, = Alausa palasah of Cantor. In 

 Malay Trubu. Cantor gives a long account of the preparation of 

 the species, which will be referred to presently. It is called 

 Sable-fish and Hilsa by Europeans. It is a silvery fish shot with 

 gold and purple, no spots on the adult, but a row of them on the 

 young, most distinct near the gills. Shoals of these fish swarm up 

 the lower rivers as soon as the monsoon commences, especially 

 those in which the current is not rapid. In the Philippines they 

 are largely caught at this time, but Mr. Day says that great 

 injury is done to these fisheries in India by the weirs without 

 passes for the fishes to get to their spawning ground. He says 

 they continue ascending the rivers for four months though in 

 smaller quantities. In the Malay Peninsula the seasons seem to 

 correspond with those of India. 



Coilia borneensis, Bleeker. Kalanh-kanh of Anamite fisher- 

 men. A golden anchovy with yellow fins ; pectoral fin with 

 twelve free rays extending half way down the elongated, com- 

 pressed, and tapering body. This species is very wide-spread in 

 India, Cochin-China, and the Malay Archipelago. 



The above list includes only those which came under my own 

 observation and the number of course might be very much 

 extended. No complete census, I believe, has yet been made of 

 the fishes of the Archipelago or the Straits of Malacca, the latter 

 of which would be of more interest to those enquiring into the 

 true characters of the Malayan region. The following families 

 are peculiar to the fresh waters of the Indian region. 



Luciocephalid^e, 1 species. 



Ophiocephalid^e, 30 species (1 in Africa). 



Mastacembelid^e, 10 species (3 in Africa). 



Amongst the Silurid^e the following sub-divisions are restricted 

 to the same region : — 



Chacina, with 3 species. 



Bagariina, 20 species. 



