222 MALAYAN FISHES. 



The Malay generic terms are Ikan sabelah and Ikan lidah 



for all members of this family, but in some districts the name 

 Sabelah is applied to those genera which have a distinct caudal 

 fin (Pseitodex. IWudorhnmhluis) and the name Lidah to the tongue- 

 shaped genera (Si/napfimi. flarjusia. ( ' i/nor/lossHs ) . 



In the Straits of Malacca these fish are very common in shallow 

 water on sand and mud where they keep close to the bottom. This 

 haibit of keeping dose to the bottom renders them particularly 

 liable to capture by the beam or "Otter" trawl. I have taken 

 these fish in a beam trawl in fair numbers huth oil" Singapore and 

 off the Krian coast. 



On the great Kra flats off Krian which arc formed of very soft 

 mud I found it nocoss-arv to tit - ski or wooden skates to the irons 

 of the trawl to enable the trawl to slide on the surface of the mud, 



the Si raits to the other. A special effort should be made to stop 

 this murder of miniature fish which has diminished our food supply 

 to a very considerable extent. 



Two species df our Ikan sabelah are found on the Queens- 

 land coast. One. Pzettodes rrumei. is known as the Queensland 

 Halibut, and the other. JWudorhomhus niseUii is -enerallv called 



GOBIES. 



{QOBIIDAE.) 



