6 



MALAYAN FISHES. 



F^ifih ura cmrioiis creatures and we hat^e still ft grcni dwl to- 

 Iwirii alioiil tlu'lr habiU, Some like tin? Salmon Mirl the Shad 

 (tkan terubok) Wyq in thp rpr and t«pftvni in the rivers, i^uch 

 iish apt' UvrJiie<l anatlrotiiuu.- iiml the U»rm is also ap|ilip<l to fi^h 

 which nmki" i\ iiii|,'r«tioii frf)m the deep sea coastwiirdi* for the pur- 

 potit? 8pHwnin;jf. 



OtlitTi^. like sOTiU' Ktds. live hi thf rivorg ajiid .'tjiavvn in the seaL 

 The eummon Kid of Eiirqw {Augnllla vulffarU] impawns far mt 

 m the oeeaii, after ^v^^ic'h fiotli males and female.^ flie. never retuni- 

 in^ to fre^^h-water & second timt', F«ijishe.^ whieh I'wv in thi; rivers 

 aiiid s]ii\ vrn in the m\ are t^Tined eatiidromous. 



St^jni* fliillep do not Uy Qg^s but hring forth Uieir young ftlive, 

 ExHnipii'.^ of vi\ iptiixins fishes oicur in tlie Whark and liny families 

 and &hn in the Bj.KNNrnAE, Cypkinodoxtidae and SuoiiPAENtDAE, 

 Instaueefi of funetional liermaphrod^itism Of'i^ur. and ^lome of the 

 iSKftHANHuK (iSpii-rm'hes ) are invariably liermaphrodite and self- 

 fertilising, 



A 8t*a-Bream, VkriimphnfH auralusf is an example of suiTt^CfffliTe 

 horma|jlircK|iitisin. the male ami femide >iex~eGlls ri|>einng^ alter- 

 nately. Aft an oc'eajsional variation hprnniphrorlitisim hag Wen re- 

 corded in sJiirh well known fishes iis the Cod, the Miiekerel and the 

 HcrrinjL'.' 



The t'^ga of fij^heji may t»e tli\ided into two kinds; the large 

 (dtmemd ova) vvhi«^h arc heavy and mnk; and the smalt {pelagic 

 ova) whiiHi are btioyant and Hoat at or belo^v the surface according 

 to tlicir densiity. Tiie biioyanev of the pelajrie vgg dejjcnda^ liow- 

 ever. on the density of the sea unit tin* |iela^<ic ajcg Ix'comes demersal. 

 in porfittoii. iji hrai'kinh WHtt-r i\\\d in fre'^h water, 



■Demerjsal eggji mjiy he either visckl and adheyivL' or smooUi 

 and non-adliosive. 



Fd a it- C'f^gs are distingni^rhetl Ijy tiieir lightness, buoyancTj 

 small sixe and r^^markahle transparency. Tliey are always non- 

 adbosive ami fr^e and they invariably htdong to Marine FiKhes^ 

 As a general rule it may be sjiid thut fre?h water ihh produce 

 deiner.aal ova and nnirine lish p^'la^ie ina, 



Wiien we realise tliat the o^r^rg of most Marine fisliei; float, it 

 h oln'iously futile to ft])e*k of guarding the "epawiiin^ grounds'^ 

 on our coa«tjs. It is neeussary to mcntioB thi^ i^ciMiuse at one time 

 it was thon^ht that spawning took place on shallow banks or even 

 close in shore hut tins is now kiion'o t-o be ineorrcet, except in the 

 cnm of tlie true Herring which lays demcr.*ai eggs in eoniparativuly 

 slialloit Wfflter, and a few less import-ant s|>eoie&. 



Amongst our imi>ortaiit Marine food fisliea which are knowm 

 to pr<jdnce pelagic eggs are memlHirs t>f the Herring, Maekerel, 

 Horfcie-Mai'kereL Sea-Perth. Mtillet and FlatUsh families, in fact, ftU 

 our best fi^h. 



irauib: Nat: Hiat: im. 



