50 MALAYAN FISHES. 



BOX-FISHES. 



(OSTRACIOyTIDAE.) 

 This family is of no edible importance. 



GLOBE-FISHES AND PORCUPINE FISHES. 



{TETEODONTIDAE &■ DIODONTIDAE.) 



These fi^h possess poisonous properties and instances have been 

 recorded of persons dying shortl)- after eating them. Malay fisher- 

 men, however, commonly eat the Buntal pisang {Tetrodon 

 lunaris) and some other species, Ijeing careful to remove all the 

 poisonous organs. . 



SHARKS AND DOG-FISHES. 



{CABCHARIIDAE, SCYLLIDAE, SPHYEXIDAE.) 



Sharks are active predacious fishes living at different depths 

 ill the sea from the surface to nearly a thousand fathoms and rang- 

 ing from mid-ocean to the shallower waters round the coasts in every 

 part of the world. They are most abundant in the Tropics where 

 they attain their greatest size, and some of the Sharks are the 

 largest of living fi^es. 



Ajniong the Scyllidae (Dog-fishes) we have in these waters the 

 Tiger or Zebra Shark (Yu chechak or Yu to'kek) with dark 

 bands on a ta"miy ground which attains a length of at least 10 feet. 



Among our species of the true Sharks (Caechaeiidae) we have 

 Yu tenggiri (Galeocerdo rayneri) which attains a length of over 

 12 feet and is very ferocious, but fortunately rather rare, and the 

 Yu jerong or Yu sambaran {Carcharias sp.) which has also a 

 bad reputation. 



The Hammer-head Sharks (Sphyrnidae) Yu bengkong, Yui 

 sanggul or Yu palang are voracious, usually live in deep water 

 and grow to a length of IS feet. 



There is no scientific record of the appearance of Ehinodon- 

 tidae in these waters. Sharks' of this family are prtobably the largest 

 known and are said to exceed 50 feet in length (some writers men- 

 tion 70 feet), but to be quite harmless. Specimens have been seen 

 or captured in the neighbourhood of Ceylon, and on one occasion- 

 I watched a very large shark, in clear water, near Xi]3ah Bay, 

 Tioman Island, for more than half an hour, which ap]3eared to- 

 equal the length of my yacht (35 feet). 



The economic value of sharks has not yet been fully realised. 

 Fishermen regard them as a nuisance as they tear nets and take 

 fish oft' their hooks, and they are avoided as much as possible. 

 Incidentallv sharks are a nuisance to trawl-fishermeu in Australia^ 

 and if there is any delay in getting the " cod-end "' containing tlie 

 fish on board, the sharks will bite pieces out of it. There is how- 

 ever evcrv indication that shark-leather will soon be an ordinary 

 trade commodity. The skin of sharks is composed of two layers: 



