MALAYAN PISHES, 



81 



BLOW-PIPE FISHES. 



(TOXOTIDAE,) 



The Ikan sumpit or Sumpit-sumpit {SuminUtn, & bloW' 

 pi])e) is so Bamoil frum its ruethod, unique rtnioutr fishiis, of shoot- 

 ing water frimi its moutii at in ecte wJiicb it pcfcPiTe;? ilosi* to the 



Thev are lery t-fimmiiii estuary fishes congregatmg under 

 pier.-, fallen treci? and hranche:*. wliure tliey may Ih> Uoth s^>en and 

 inward j- pitting'' at iiii^s and sJiniilar small game, which thoj kiiiwk 

 down witli surprisiij": accuracy. 



In the second editioD of Day's Fishes, this ehootinj^ liabit is 

 t'^rroneoii.-Jy attrihuted to aiiothf^r fisli, Chelmo rosfrtdm^ whieh is 

 also known to the Malayji as? Ikan sum pit, mid a nore under Tosco- 

 te^ r«adji, '* It is* ;?tflted in same workri that these wide moiithcil 



fishes shijfjt :ji:*ect5 with a drop of water .... The at-tioii i*? one 



which the moutlis of tljese fi^^hl^« appear ineepalilc of effcfting/' 



There is nnipk' evidence. liowi»ver, to prove tliat Torohs do 

 ^liOQt, and thoittjh their nioiitlis arc large it will he noticed that they 

 hcve the profpctin^ lower jaw of tlie true ouspidore artist* 



Ckdmf) rmfraiuit, on tin* other hand, thou«:^h it has pipe-like 

 projpeting jaw,9. i^^ a hsh whicli la found at sea in the neighhoiirhood 

 of eoraf reefs where flies and iuisects iinmt be rare. 



It owes it^ name Sumpit-suttipit *' to the fact that, after 

 ^niptarcj it spurtg water throutrh Its mouth. 



Toxoies chiiffifcits ^rows to a. lenp;th of jibout one foot and I 

 iiave taken several with a rod when fishing' with prawn bait for 

 Siakap, between half and three quarters of a pound. They are 

 <pute good eating. 



FRESH-WATER PERCHES. 



{NAyjJWAE,) 



1 have lio iiilormatiOE regardirt;? the Kepau or Patong (Cttto- 

 pra fmciakt) whi<'h is the solo meniher of this family recorded in 

 our waters utukr u ilalay naJite, 



SBA-PERCHES. 



{SERRANIDAB.) 



The Ycry in complete list in this book ^ives some 45 species of 

 Sea-perehes- The family is a very large and most important one, 

 containing as it does, not only some of our lari^est fish but also 

 many of our best edible fish including tlie Ikan me rati. Nearly 

 !ill the members o£ tiiis family arc oarnivorouci flslic^s which take a 

 bait readily* 



I propose to mention only a few of the most important ones. 



