MALAYAN FISHES. 51 



the outermost iutegnment, " shagreen," is covered with denticles, 

 and hitherto, owing to the difficulty of treatment, has had a very 

 limited use, but within the last few years a method has been dis- 

 covered of separating the outer and inner skins and the latter can 

 be tanned and used in every way like ordinary leather. It is there- 

 fore likely that the high price and scarcity of ordinary leather will 

 eventually lead to the universal exploitation of the shark, ray and 

 porpoise fisheries with special nets and appliances. I see in the 

 Australian Magazine "Sea, Land and Air'' (September 19'20) 

 that a Marine-Leather Company is operating successfully off the 

 coast of Florida and North Carolina. 



Other commercial products are the blood, fins, liver and meat. 

 The blood is said to furnish one of the finest waterproof glues yet 

 known for aeroplane propellers, etc. ; the fins are a well known 

 Chinese delicacy, and the American Bureau of Fbheries has 

 published some tliirty recipes for cooking shark-meat. 



Small sharks are esteemed as food by the Malays, Indians and 

 Chinese and are excellent eating. 



The liver of the shark is rich in oil and is said to equal that of 

 the Cod in its medicinal properties. It is also used in the prepar- 

 ation of soap, paint, etc., including the treatment of leather. 



SAW FISHES. 



(PEISTIDAE.) 



The family contains one genus {Pristis) with about four or 

 five species. 



These fish are termed Beroi by Malays in some districts but 

 the descriptive names Yu gergaji, Yu parang and Yu todak are 

 more commonly heard, Malays placing these and the Ehinobatidae 

 among the Sharks (Selachoidei) and not among the Rays (Ba- 

 THoiDEi), with good reason. 



Boulenger states that an arbitrary distinction has Ijeen made 

 which has little to recommend it except custom and some measure 

 of convenience. 



These fish are readily eaten by Malays, Chinese and Tamils 

 and are very common. They enter rivers right up into fresh water 

 and small specimens two or three feet long are often taken acci- 

 dentally in casting nets. 



They have always appeared to me to be very lethargic and slug- 

 gish and as the small ones in a net give less trouble than any other 

 fish of the same size, I have always considered them to be more for- 

 midable in appearance than in reality. However, Day writes 

 " Great injuries are inflicted by these fishes, which strike side- 

 ways with their formidable snouts; and although not personally a 

 witness to the fact, I {have been informed on native authority, that 

 large ones have been known to out a bather entirely in two." 



It would be interesting to know whether there is any record of 

 patients having been admitted to hospital in India or Malaya, sufi.er- 

 ing from injuries inflicted by these fish. 



