50 



MALAYAN FiaHES. 



BOX-FISHES. 



(OSTRACIOyTlDAK.} 

 This famflj is* tif in> edible nupctrtflncc. 



OLOBE-FISHES AND PORCUPINE FISHES- 



{TETmi>ONTWAE DiODOXTinAK,) 



Thi'sr fiiili pogse^is poison oii!> projiprtit'j* find jiis^tamei* Jjavi? bci^i? 

 raorded t>f persoiiiii clyhig sliortiv aftci" entiiig thfm. Malay fisher^ 

 nifii. liowGViir, rojiinKjnly eat the Buntal pi sang (Tefrodon 

 tunans) and some ntlier sijccit's, hmi^r L-areful tu ri moM> nil the 



SHARKS AND DOO-FISHES. 



{VARVHAmiDAE, BCYLUDAI'l SVilVhWlDAE.) 



Sharks are acti\'e jmnlacioiiL^ fitilieH li\iii>; at different tleptlss 

 ill tin* ^ca frtmi the surface to nearly a thousand fatliums and ning:- 

 in^r from iiiid-otoau to the shallowt^r waters round thf i ofistsi in every 

 ptvrt of the world. They are most ahyndaTit in tlie Tropicri where 

 they attain tbeir greatest mxe, and some of th^^ Sharks are tlie 

 hir^fpst of liriiio' fishes. 



Amnion*,'- the s!k*YJ>LinAE (Dug-fljihes) we have in these waters the 

 Tijjer or Zel>ra Shark (Yu cKechak or Yu to'kek) \i'itli dark 

 liariiL^ on a tawny ^rmmd which attains fl length of at leaiit 10 feet. 



Anioii'j^ ()iir jsjwc'iefi tho tnic> Sharks (CAHCHAHiirjAE) we have 

 Yu tetig£:iri {iUilcom'do mijnM) which attains a length of OTvr 

 1% feet luul is vt*ry ft^rooionj^, hat fortunately rather rare, and the 

 Vu jerong or Yu samba ran {('archa'tim which has also a 

 ]>Hd rt'jjiitation, 



Tiie HanimiT-head Sharks; (Sj-inuxiiiAJi) Yu bengkong^ Yu 

 sanggul or Yu palang an? vuravioUH. nsually live in deep watei 

 ajid }:rit\v to a k-nfrth oi 15 feet. 



Tht're is no scientific" record of the appfarance of Rmistodon- 

 rii>Ai: in tlie^e waters?- Sharks »f tliis family are ]>mhiihly tlie largest 

 kinjwn nnd are i^aid to exceed feet in Icn^fth imme writers men- 

 tioa 7(1 feet), but to be quite harmless. S}X^titnenii liave Ijw^en seen 

 or eaptnral m the neitrlibonrhotHl of Ceylon » and on one oeea^ion 

 I watdii'd a very lar^je j^hark. in elmr water, neat* Nipali Bay, 

 Tiimian Idanil, for more than half an hour* vrhi4'h apfMiared to- 

 equal tlie len«rtli i>f uiy yacht (^5 feet}. 



' Tbe econoniii.' value of sliarks has not yet heen fully realised. 

 Fishermen rc^anl tlieiii a-"* a iiiiisaute as^ they tear nets ami take 

 fish otT their hook*?, and they are avoided as nuU'li as possible. 

 [nc*idcn tally sharks are a iitiisonet* to trawl-fisihenuen in Aut^tralia. 

 and if tiiere any delay in |irettin«i the *' eod-euil containing tljc 

 fish on Ijoard, t.he sharka will hite piovreii out of if. There ii* how- 

 ever every indication that shark-leather will iywn he an ordiiiar)' 

 trade conmiodity. The i^kin of sharks la cojJijwst'd of two layerj^: 



