I'lSIIKHY KESOUUC'KS OK THK I'lllLll'I'INKS, I. ;)1 ( 



THE POMPANOS. 

 Family CantiiiiUhv. (PI. VII.) 



There are thirty-six difiereiit species of the poiiij)aiio Jamil}' Iciiowu iii 

 the Philippines. All of them are valuable commercial fishes. 'J'he 

 ca\allas {Caranx) are the most important branch of the family. They 

 are termed talal-'itoh in Tagalog and daingputi in Moro. These fish are 

 Aery abundant in almost all markets. They range from .'V3 to 36 centi- 

 meters in length. xVs a nile they are caught in corrals. 



Another abiindant species is the lison [Gamn.v ignobilis (Forskal)]. 

 These fish are dried in large numbers by the Moros. The ballangoan. 

 termed cuhal-cuhal {Megcdaspis cordyla Linn.), is another very abundant 

 food fish of fine flavor, belonging to this family. Tliese are reported to 

 reach the length of 155 centimeters; ordinarily those in the market 

 measure about 45 centimeters. They are caught in corrals. 



THE SEA BASSES. 

 Family Serranidw. (PI. VIII.) 



There are thirty-three species of this important famil)' of food fisli 

 reported from tlio Philippines. One of the most familiar is the apahap 

 {tapog in Moro) [Lates calcarifer (Bloch)], one of our largest sea 

 basses. Specimens weighing from ^5 to 35 kilns are frequently brought 

 into the market. This fish wotild afford good sport for local anglers. 

 The largest branch of the family is constituted by the groupers (Epinc- 

 phelus) , called lapo-Iapo in Tagalog, garopa in Yisa^'an, and kukkut in 

 Moro. (PI. VIII.) Ordinarily this name is given to the most commnn 

 species, Epincphultis iiierra Bloch, but it is also applied to at least three 

 others which closely resemble E. menu. These fish bring a high price 

 in the Manila market; they are a favorite sea food for many Americans. 



Another rather common species is the blue-spotted grouper [Geplialo- 

 pTiolis stigmatopoinus (Richardson)], which is especially abundant in 

 the Zamboanga market. The fishes of this family are usually caught 

 with hook and line in water of considerable depth; sometimes they are 

 taken by net or corral. Gill-nets set in about 50 feet of water frequently 

 make good catches. 



THE MULLETS. 

 Family Muyilidu: (PL IX.) 



There are ten dift'erent species of mullet recorded from the Philippines, 

 the most abundant being the hanak {Mugil cephalus Linn.). This fish 

 can always be found in the market and when quite fresh and properly 

 cooked is most delicious. It is very common throughout the entire 

 Archipelago. The mullet is a strictly vegetable feeder, and is usually 



