MALAYAl? PISHES. 



T)»ew iie=tis,iJi the Etirofxjfiii Lahttfjt are niflili^ of sea- weeds, 

 iioopbytes, corals, lirukfU stiiells, kW., aiul are rhf work of botb the 

 male and female. It is also in this family that ^letp Wfiss first 

 olistTvi^d ill llshes, axul tliis km hceii fully verificil dr MDbius, on 

 LabntJi rupnMis in an aquarium, tht fish set^kiiii^ a sU^epiag' place 

 •at night and laying itself flown to rept on one siile.^ 



Tokak is the generic name ap]ilied hy Mnlayi! to tiiose mem* 

 hers of thi^ family whieh are providwl with strtPii^ t'Euiinc-like teeth, 

 (8ee WilkiiLsoa'a Dietiouary, p, 201. Toksk. Biting, used of 

 dfvgSj sharks, tigers^, and other animals wliidi Ui^f their teeth as a 

 weajjon of offence.) 



The teeth of these fisheii are used huwevi-r far t-rii hinj^ shells, 



A Tokak iVharrofm omnoptct'iis) is known in Kew South 

 Wales ami Qiieeuslajid a.-; the Blue-i^fjotted (irof>er. 



little me is made of this large family of fine edible fiijhcs from 

 a eomnierrifll |x>int of view. 



Their capture is eonliiied to tlio hand line imd to l)a?iket traps. 

 Their habitat J deep water in the vidnity of coral ra^h, renders the 

 use of ordinary nets impojisibJe but ihu tramJiud Ji?t which is un- 

 known in this region should prove effective. 



Many mem hers of this family attain a M'eitfht of 50 ponndjs. 



PARROT-WRASSES. 



This family is closely allied to the ijreceding, witli wliieli they 

 hare been usually united, but ditfcrinfj in the more or less coaleseent 

 teetli, forming, ofien, a parrot-like beak, 



I have plaeed the Bechok in this family and als^o amon;yr the 

 Labhtdae as there are several species, 



Mr. A, W. H, Hamilton, who ir^ an authority on MalayaJi sea* 

 lislieB, tells me tliat the ilulays of the Western part of Sing:apore 

 confine the snionyni Bichok to a fish with grt-en teeth, wJiich 

 j^eem^ to identify lii^ lij5h as Pmid^dft^r nioluccnnus (Dav, 2nd 

 edition Vol, II, p, 421). 



HORSE MACKERELS. 



{CAfUXGWAE,) 



A large and important family of carnivorous fi&bes, all of 

 'ft-hich arc edible and many of lar^e size. 



Membeiij of this family txsmpose the hulk of the fish taken in 

 nets on the East raast* which are dried and salted for ex|>ort. 



Sonn^ of our principal local varieties are the Chencfiaru 

 (Carana; roitlcrijf the Selar {C(tmn.r. not los-i than 1'^ species), 

 the Chermin {C. gfiUu.>t), the Nyior nyior {Tradii/mim spp,) 

 .an d the T a ! an g ( Ch ormfrti us s^pp . ) . 



1 The Cambridge Natural Hiatory, 1904. 



