POISONS OBTAINED FROM FISH 111 



fish safe for eating. The phyBiological effect of iBjecting 

 the poisonous principles has been described as causing 

 a fall of blood pressure and slowing of the circulation 

 with cardiac tremor, fibrillation, and finally block. 

 The oculo-motor and sympathetic post-ganglion fibres 

 of the eye are both involved, but the endings remain 

 intact. Death is due to direct action on the respiratory 

 centre and not from interference with the phrenic 

 nerve " (Rei 1). 



STING-RAYS 



Certain dangerous fishes called ikan pari are used by 

 Kelantan criminals as a poison ; in Malay, ikaUj a fish, 

 further defined hjpari, is used collectively for the sting- 

 rays or skates (Trigonidfe), eagle-rays (Myliobatidae), 

 and electric-rays (ToriDedininae), which are found at the 

 mouths of Malay rivers and about the sea-coast. The 

 sting of the ray is used as a poison ; it is found in most 

 but not in all the species, and is a remarkably venomous 

 weapon of defence in the shape of a large sharps 

 pointed spine, or spines, representing the dorsal fin, and 

 placed near the base of the tail, wliich, as in nearly all 

 the members of this family, is long and whip-liive. The 

 common rough-skinned ray of the Red Sea and Indian 

 Ocean (Urogymnus asperrimus), which may measure 

 as much as 5 feet from head to root of tail, is conunon 

 about the coast of Kelantan, and is knoTO to Malays as 

 pari dedap. In this ray the long tail is devoid of either 

 dorsal fin or spine ; the flexible tail, about 2^ to 3 feet 

 long, is dotted about with very small sharp, barbed 

 spines. The roughness on the back is due to osseous 

 tubercles between which sharp, conical dermal teeth 

 are liberally scattered. The tails of pari didap are used 

 by Kelantan carpenters for file^ and the skin for sand- 

 paper. Lacerated wounds may be caused by the stroke 



