20 



MALAYAN 



The Tapah hi^ a ]mir of pertonil i^piiies owlv, Sem- 

 bifang^ Patin, La wan g:, Pedukang: aiul Bauitgf have botli peo- 

 toriil and a dtirsaj Rpiop, 



A wound from these spines is extremely paiDriil and the angler 

 who cnpturfc-^ one of thege fish for th« first time ia adviMsd to take a 

 lesson from a Miilay in tJie proper n^ithml of grasping them, whsch 

 is very guimpie but vvortli ktimvin^?. 



Tliey are valuable food iL^hes ajid are in ^reat demand among 

 all Malays, Chiiu^se and natives of India. Some Bpeoies are con- 

 sidered to po^ess ex<ieptionalIy nouri:ihirig final stiet; and are pres- 

 cribed for patients reeoverin^^ from ilhujs.s. 



Tliey will live for houra out of water and ean be tninaported 

 for long distances. 



The pojjiilarity of the Kriaii district of Perak among natiires 

 of India i« due primarily to the riire fieldj? and seeo^ndly to the fact 

 that cat-fishes, as well as otber fish, swaruj iu the riee tidds aod 

 irrig^ation ditches, 



A volume miiiht h& written on thf t'at-fiahoa alone. One in- 

 terestinj? diaraeteri,stit' i? the great rare tliey take of their nfrga and 

 young. The Pedukatig, for in!?tanc<?, lays very few but very 

 large e^tis whieh look like gelatine eapsules and tht'se they carry 

 *i}x>at in their months. Ap the Pedukang arc aniojij? tlie i^om- 

 monest estuarine fishes, any observer can obtain them durinir the 

 breeding season an<l see for himgelf the egg in every stage of 

 deveiopmenf, and in the final stage, iinnietliately before hatching, 

 the tiny fiKh i.^ distinetly visible through the tranBliieent envelope 



of the egg. 



LOACHES AND CARP, 



{COBITIDAE d' (U'PHIMDAE.) 



Only Hxt laches, the Ikan pasir and the LalU are mentioned 

 m thh work. l>ut judging from reciords of S[)ecies h\ Java, Sumatra 

 and Bomefj, there shouhl Ixi at least Sft «?pecics. 



The Ikan pasir {Acfniihop,m choirorhifn-rhtis) is quite eom- 

 raon III the Pahang rivpr and good eating. 



The t'arp family of fresh water fohes to whieli our Hoaeh, 

 Tenet: and Guilgeon belong is represented in our Malayan rivera 

 by uert^iinly not les^ tlian 100 ^[mues, . 



The very inconiplcte list in hook j^ivet; -jome 2S Malay 

 synonyms only. There is an interesting hobtiv and good sport 

 with a dy and !?pinner awaiting any planter or proj^peetor who lives 

 near the upper reaeheii of any of the riverj* iu the Penin.sula, An 

 oil drum can eafsily be converted into a spec i men tank in whidv 

 rare fish may W jjresservetl in spirit Tlie Dirmors of the F, IL S. 

 and S. S. Museums would be only too glad, I fee] jsnrc, to mount 

 and dL^T>ky apecimen;s, and m the :fteld h practieallj untouched the 

 collet'tor hm more than a sporting chani-e of diHcoreriug and per- 

 haps giving hi& name to a new ^pe<'i(>s. 



