-26 MALAYAN FISHES. 



This, then, is the manner of their capture. There will come a 

 moment when a great wave, like a wall, hurls itself on the beach. 

 In fact these waves do it all the time I However, there is mea. ure 

 of two or three moments ajid no more when that wave stands like 

 a wall between you and the iish, and the fish forget your existence. 

 In that brief time your caster of the mullet net gprints down to th-,' 

 very verge of the breaking wave and up to or over his knees m Die 

 water; the net truly held and truly swung, with a long pendalum 

 swing, clears the crest of the approaching wave and falls fairly on 

 the group of mullet concealed in the hollow -liey end. and in this way 

 perhaps he may be fortunate enough to take one or two hundred 

 fish in one cast. But you will serve a long apprenticeship, and will, 

 when learning, throw half a hundred times and have no mullet 



When the sport is in full swing perhaps 10 or 20 mea dart 

 simultaneously down the beach and as many jiets shoot out and 

 over the wave^. Suddenly there comes a wild yell of excitement. 

 Pelong which have been disturbed or enclosed in the Anding nets 

 leap several feet in the air and break their way through the 

 nets. Silvery six-pounders and even larger fish instinctively jump 

 when their brothers jump. There is a rush up the beach and a 

 race back to the breakers with the Pelong nets. The nets are 

 thrown at random (tebar rainbang) in every direction. There 

 may be a shoal of Pelong and, if so, some excitement I promise 

 vou. 



Once a Pelong sees the net over him, he makes one upward 

 dash to the apex of the net. The fisherman hurls himself at the 

 fish and must grasp him then or not at all, for the next powerful 

 dash for liberty takes the fish down to the bottom and he is under 

 the chains and out of the net before you can wink. Out of your 

 depth in a strong surf with a couple of lusty Pelong in your arms 

 and a smother of net, chain and cord about you, vou come to the 

 conclusion that life was never more wortli living and that if you 

 are off to kingdom come you will take the Pelong with you. 



As I write, at Tanjong Katong, Singapore, I can see some 

 Bovanese, syces probably, witli baby casting nets catcliing idirimps, 

 sprats and liaby fish in a sea like glas^; a miserable messy busi- 

 ness. The real gladiators of the casting net are to be found only 

 on the East coast. 



Our Mullet (Belanak) include the Jempul {Mugil planiceps) 

 which attains at least a foot and a half in length. 



The Tamok (.¥. tvaigiensis) , according to Day, attains at 

 least 3 feet in length. The Anding and Kedera, which grow to 

 about a foot and a half, are excellent eating. 



The Belanak tamok {M. waigiensis) is known in Australia 

 as the Diamond Scaled Mullet. It attains a weight of several 

 pounds and is of a pretty silvery colour, each scale being prettily 

 margined with black. 



