History of the Local Names of Cape Fish. 209 
In glancing over the list it will be seen that they can be readily 
arranged in the following groups :— 
(A) Borrowed names, including : 
1. Names borrowed from known fish more or less resembling the South 
African forms. 
2. Names borrowed from persons, animals, or things resembling in some 
respects the fish requiring names. 
(B) New names, including: 
3. Names derived from some striking peculiarity of colour, shape, &c. 
4, Names derived from habitat. 
1. Names borrowed from known fish more or less resembling the 
South African forms. 
This is the most obvious origin of the majority of the names, and 
fortunately the detailed records kept by the early settlers, now made 
accessible by the labours of Mr. Leibrandt, are available for use in 
this inquiry. 
When, in 1652, the Dutch East Indian Company decided to make 
the Cape a calling station for ships passing to and from their posses- 
sions in the East, they naturally began to turn their attention to the 
resources of the country. That the fishing industry was not regarded 
as one of these is apparent from Van Riebeek’s complaint that the 
early settlers ‘“‘ paid more attention to fishing than to the develop- 
ment of the resources of the country.” Heeven took active steps to 
discourage any development in this direction, doubtless, however, as 
he feared that other industries, of more immediate importance to his 
Company, might suffer thereby, for more than once he mentions the 
abundance of fish almost as if it were a particular grievance. 
But Dutchmen are born fishers, and in an early entry in his 
Journal (April 6, 1652) we are informed that on his arrival at the 
Cape, to form a permanent settlement, one of the first things he did 
was to order ‘“‘Skipper David Coninck to proceed to shore to search for 
letters, obtain vegetables, and draw the net for some fish.” Four days 
after this, when the erection of the fort was begun, the same skipper 
set out on a fishing expedition to the Salt River, not without good 
results, for he returned with ‘‘750 beautiful Steenbraesems, and four 
other delicate fish of more delicate flavour than any fish in the Father- 
land, one looking like a haddock (Shelvisch) and as good and fat.”’ 
The name “ Steenbraesem”’ thus promptly given was undoubtedly 
adopted on account of a resemblance to the ‘‘ Brasem”’ (Cyprinus 
brama) of Holland, though generically and specifically a different fish. 
The name has survived to this day under the somewhat modified 
