POISONS OBTAINED FBOM FISH 115 



out of the scrotumj the paits became much swollen, 

 and the wound soon sloughed. He was in hospital 

 for many days before he could walk about, but even- 

 tually made a good recovery, except for a depressed 

 scar. In June, 1920, Ahmad, a Kelantan forester, was 

 bitten while bathing in the evening on the glans ; a 

 small piece was bitten clean out, causing profuse 

 hiemorrhage, which could only be controlled by pressure. 

 He, on the other hand, made a rapid recovery and was 

 discharged from hospital in a week's time. 



Specimens of these globe-fish caught in the Kelantan 

 River and sent from Kota Bharu to the British Musemn 

 were identified by Professor G. A. Boulenger as Tetrodon 

 lluviatilis and T. oblongus. T. oblongus is closely 

 alhed'to T, sceleratus, which is found in the Indian 

 Ocean and the greater part of the Pacific. The ikan 

 buntal is a shallow-water fish and easily caught ; when 

 one is captm*ed, or alarmed or touched, it inflates a 

 portion of its <Bsophagus by swallowing air until it 

 resembles a toy balloon. This manoeuvre is for the 

 pm'pose of defence, as most species have rough skins 

 provided with a number of spines of various sizes ; 

 hence the popular names " sea -hedgehog " and " sea- 

 porcupine." On retm-ning to its normal condition the 

 fish expels the air from its cesophagus through its mouth 

 and gill openings with a sound which has been described 

 by McNair as " something between a grunt and the hoot 

 of an owl." Globe- fish may be easily avoided, as they 

 are said not to attack objects in motion. Seheube says 

 in regard to T. fluviatihs (Indo- China) that the poison 

 teeth on the palate are much the same as those of the 

 conger-eel (Mur^na helena. Linn.) and Stomias boa, 

 Risso, a dangerous fish found in the Mediterranean Sea, 

 As a local anodyne the bomor uses the young leaves of 

 the " black " variety of the datura plant for the treat- 

 s—a 



