MALAYAN K19HES, 



40 



HAIRTAILS. 



(TEICHJURIDAE.) 



The Timah-timah (TrifMurus spp.) are some of our com- 

 monest 6&hes ami are ^^ent'rally on sale in the markets. 



I have uever eatoi tJiom but the CHiineae and Indians purchase 

 them readily. 



These tish have no caudal fiiij the body being rihljon like and 

 taperiiig to a fme point. 



Miniature specimem an mch or two in length form a con- 

 siderable proportidTi of tht' tiitches of illegal purse neb. Tfae or- 

 dinary size of marketable specimens is about three to four feet- 

 Day quotes BussgII as observing^ that in his time they were 

 esteemed by the European soldierg id India, md Jerdoii states that 

 they afford very delicate eating. 



SAIL-FISHES. 



(EISTWPHOEIDA E. ) 



A family of large oceanic fishes, occurring in tropical or snb- 

 tropical seR?. On accoimt of their formidable sword, large speci- 

 mens are held in dread by fishermen and are rarely taken and still 

 more rarely presented. 



The Japanese in Tlawfli^i have a re<(ular fishery for Sail-Pish 

 ftud Tuna. The Japanese fishermen in Singapore, who are the 

 only deep wat«r fishermen in our waters and whose methods lire 

 much more enterprising end thorougli than those of the Malays and 

 Chinese, are taking these fish occasionally. 



I am informed that a ^yaiUFish, three fathoms long was sold in 

 the Clyde Terrace market within the pa*t two weeks, but the in- 

 formation arrived too late to enable me to get a photograph. 



This fish is known to Kalays as Se layer or Lay e ran (Layer ^ 

 a sail), and is by no means rare, 



flat-fishes. 



(pleuronbctwae,) 



Flat fishes are a large group of some 900 spedee, mostly 

 marine. 



The very young are transparent and symmetrical with an eye 

 on each side, and swim in a vertical position like other fishes. 



As they grow, the eye of one side moves by degrees to the other 

 side, where it becomes the upper eye. 



If, at that age, the dorsal fin does not extend to the frontal 

 T^ion, the migrating eye simply moves over the line of the profile ; 

 in other genera, the dorsal fin has already extended to the snout 

 Ih^fore the migration takes place, and the eye, passing between the 



