MALAYAN FISHES. 



9& 



GRUNTHRS. 



(PmSTIPOMA TWAE,) 



Tliia family oootaiiis flA>otit 130 species b^loiigiii^r to four 

 ;ji*iii'rtt, nf wliidi thrcH' *itiu"m iiihat>ir our waters, viz. FrisHpotna 

 (Gerut-g^rut), Difif/ramma (Tebal bibir) and Fenfapm fSlI in- 

 ching). 



The Gerut-gerut goad food iislies siitl t^kt? a bait readily. 

 Th^y are fond of Imck waters ajul ojie >pt?eit« (F, rftmram) is said 

 to have l>eeii eapturtfd in frfeb watf^r, 



T have taken stnera] in hracki^li water antl fouiul them, when 

 freshly cooked, exceUent eating. 



Our largest species (/*. lifmfft) attains a leiiprtJi of about IS 

 iiichejs aiicl h known m Aiiritralian wjiters as tlje QutHMLsIaud Tnmi- 

 peti*r. Of this li>h Stead writers, Tlie -UistralJaii home of tiii& 

 ma^riiificent food-fish is principally along t3ie coast of Queensland 

 where it is well and favoiirahly known/' 



The names Oerut-gerut and Trumpeter are descriptive 

 of the grunting noiist,- tlu' iUh makes after capture. 



Tht! Tebal bibir are aleo ^jwd edi'ljle fish and attain & length 

 of two feet or more, 



I have no personal knowledge of the Sel inching (Fentapus) 

 and place it here from a de^json'ptioii supplied to me, t-ogether with 

 a pooket-kodak sniajK lit»t whiieh dot*s not disjday the lish very well. 



SEA^BREAMS, 



This, a^aiii, la an important family whieh includes many 

 varieties of valuable food fif^hes. Some are carnivoroua. 



Following Dr. G. A. B<^u lender's clasisification, the prineipal 

 genera found in Malayan waters are k^colopfiWf Synaf/rinj CaesiOt 

 Crenidms, LtlhrUniii aiul Sjfarm. 



Of the Oeretak Untei {Seohff^iH sppO of Singapore, so 

 called from the parallel bin ids which dietinguish most species, \L 

 can my little. Thi' only Fjieeies of Scoh}fsus with which I am 

 fann'liar am thf Anjang-anjang and KerisI bali, whwh are ocm- 

 sionaliy taken when tithing for Kerisi. 



The Kerisi (St/naffriJt spp.) are beautiful little fi^h of a 

 roseate hue with yellow and silvery band*!. They are very common 

 all up the ea^ft <.'oa!*t wheri.- tliey can l>e taken w^ith a line, practically 

 aivv'where, in fairly deep water on a sandy bottom. 



Th.ey average perhaps five or six to the pound but I bave 

 taken them up tn a |>onnd or more in m fathoms near Tioman 

 Island. Kerisi itching or used t(i be, the favourite out-door 

 sport of the Malay Pnneess=es of Palian^, and during the S. W. 

 Monsoon regular expeditions were made to the Kerisi ground*; and 



