MALAYAN PISHES, 



51 



the cnit4?ni)ost integiinient, " Bhagreeuv ' h covered with deiitidcs, 

 aiul liitlierto, owin^ to the tliftknUy <jf tmitmeiit, Ims Had fi very 

 limited usu. hut within the last few yonr^ a metlitHl has Ijeen dU- 

 covcreil of sepfinuiii^ the outer imd iiiiw^r s^kiriji mid the latter can 

 be tanned md uml in cver\ ivay likv ordiiinrv leather. It there- 

 fore likely that thp high price and ?;rrtrdty of onVnmry leather will 

 evtmtiially lend to the uuiversnl exploitaiion of the &hark, ray and 

 porpoise fltiherie!* with spwial iietsi and apidianees. I gee in the 

 Amstralirtii Ma^jazine *'*St^, Umd and Air'* (Septemh^-r l^>3il) 

 that fl Mjirine-Leathf*i* Company is operatiJijr suwess^fiilly off the 

 const of Florida and North Carolina. 



Other emnmereifll prodmts are tht- hliK>d, fins, liver aiul meat. 

 The hloofl is said to furnisli one of tlie fiiivist waterjjronf yet 

 known for aeroplane propellers, oU. : tlie finn are Vi well known 

 Chinese de^lcafiv, and the Ameriuiii Bureau of Ftsherie* ha.?, 

 puijlished gome thirty recipes for c^okiitjr sliark-meat. 



Snijill sharkr; ar^? estee^neil as; food hy the Malays, Indians and 

 Chinese and are excellent eutin^r. 



The liver of the shark is rich in oil and is eairi to L'fpial that of 

 the Cod in its nwdidnol properties. It is also used in i\w prepar* 

 fltion of soap, paint, etc., inehulin^ the treatment of leather. 



SAW FISHES, 



(rnisTiPAK,) 



The fajTiily cojitaini* one ^feiuis [l^risfk) with arhont four or 

 five species. 



These fish are termed Beroi Uy Mn\tiy^ in .■some districts hut 

 the deserlptive imme« Yu gergaji, Yu parang anrl Yu todak are 

 more commonly heard, Malays jdai-iti^ir tliese and tlie BfrixoBATiDAi-: 

 amonj? the Sharks ( Sklachoidki) aiui utit amoii^ the Hay^ (Ba- 

 TROlDEi), with gosul rt"ai<on, 



Boulenger state's that an arbitrary disti notion ims l>een made 

 which hai? little to rec<mimend it except etistoni and ^inie measnre 

 of convenient. 



These fish are readily eaten hy Malays, Chinese aiul TarailtJ 

 and are Vi^ry t-omnion. Tiiey enter river^i ri<,'ht up into fresh water 

 and small gjieeimena two or three feet lou^^ are often ti^ken acd- 

 den tally in casting nets. 



They liave alway** appeared to me ti) he very k tharti[]r ami slug- 

 gish and m the small oueg in a net {jive less trouhle than any other 

 fish of the same siKe, T have alwayti t uiisidered them to \w mure for- 

 midable in appearaiiee than in reality. However, Day writes 

 " (rreat injuries are inflicted by these fishes, whieh strike .^ide- 

 waya with their formidaible snoutji; and altliou>^h not personally a 

 witness to the fart, I liave been informed on native authority, tliat 

 largo oneij have been known to cut a hatiier entirely in two," 



It wonhl be intere.'sting to kjiovv whether tiiere 1*^ any record of 

 patients having Jjt^en admitted to hospital in India or Makya, suffer- 

 ing -from injuries inflicted by these fish. 



