POISONS OBTAINED FROM FISH 119 



Araceae) . In the mode of use of the spine thus prepared 

 the action can only be magical, and may be compared 

 to its use as a charm by the ancient Greeks ; they 

 attached one to the navel of a pregnant woman, which 

 caused easy labour if the spine was taken from a hving 

 hsli wliich was then thi'own back into the sea ; the spine 

 also when powdered with hellebore was apphed to the 

 teeth to cause painless dentition. As regards magic, 

 Malays beheve in the existence of a leviathan ray which 

 dwells under a gigantic sea-mushroom {cMndmmn). 

 The spines are sometimes kno^*n as sondak pari ; but in 

 Selangor, Kelantan, and on the east coast generally 

 they are called sengaL The former name is probably 

 connected with the west coast sondak, used to designate 

 the spikes or spears of jungle grass (Skeat). They 

 resemble a lance-shaped dart in general appearance, 

 varying in length with the development of the fish ; the 

 larger ones may be as much as 8 to 9 inches in length, 

 and are shed as they wear out, being replaced annually 

 by new ones growing from behind ; consequently an 

 individual ray may possess two, or more rarely three 

 or even four, stings, lying side by side, if the old ones 

 have not fallen off. The spine is attached to the tail by 

 strong ligaments and some muscles which allow a slight 

 lateral movement. The existence of a poison gland in 

 connexion with the serrated spine on the tail of the 

 sting-ray has been a matter of dispute since the days of 

 Aristotle. 



A perfect spine given to me by a Kelantan fisherman 

 measured 7 inches (17 cm.) ; it is a sharply pointed, 

 rather narrow, straight piece of bone, serrated from 

 above downwards on each edge. The sharp cutting 

 teeth or serrations average up to about inch 

 (0'83 cm.) as a maximum ; they slant backwards, and 

 are recurved, gradually getting smaller and indefinable 



