ECH1N0DERMATA. 
297 
t ' 0l i of', and transport of these animals to market plays an important 
Part in the commerce and industry of the East. One rather large 
‘ s Pecies, the Ilolothuria tvbulosa, in which, by-tlie-bye, a singulai 
Parasite fish ( Fierasfer fontanesii ) lives, is common in the Medi- 
terranean. This species is eatable, and much relished at Naples. In 
. ® Ladrone Islands Holoihurin guamensis is preferred. But nowhere 
18 it esteemed of such importance as in the Malayan and Chinese 
Se as. Jn these countries, and on most of the shores of the Indian 
^ Ce an, the Holothuria eclulis, vulgarly called Trepang, is eaten with 
( | ell ght. Thousands of junks are annually equipped for the Trepang 
fisheries. The Malay fishermen carry to this fishery a degree of 
Patience and dexterity truly remarkable. Lying down in the fore 
P ar t of their vessels, and holding in their hands a long bamboo, 
^urinating by a sharp hook, their eyes, accustomed to this fishing, 
r^quently discover the animal at a distance of not less than thirty 
as it creeps along the surface of the submarine rocks or corals 
yards 
■tt'e fislier darts his harpoon at this distance, and seldom misses his 
P fe y. When the water is shallow, that is to say, not more than four 
°r five fathoms deep, divers are sent down to obtain these ordinary 
dusters, who seize them in their hands, and in this manner can take 
f ‘ Ve or six at a time. To prepare the fish and preserve them for 
Import to the markets, the Malay and Chinese fishermen boil them 
111 Water, and flatten them with stones. They are then spread out 
y bamboo mats to dry; first in the sun, and then by smoking them. 
bus prepared, they are enclosed in sacks, and shipped to the Chinese 
P° l ts j where they are particularly esteemed. This fishery takes place 
111 the months of April and May. 
^ his voyage to the South Pole Captain Dumont d’Urville, in tra- 
cing the Chinese seas, had an opportunity of assisting at this fishery, 
"hich he has described very graphically. We quote the passage in 
V 'hich the French navigator relates what he witnessed at this curious 
8 c ene. While the ships were lying quietly at anchor, “ we saw,” he 
Sa y®> “ entering the bay, four Malay proas, bearing Dutch colours, 
jich dropped their anchors about a cable’s length from Observatory 
sle t. r pq e phones or captains of these vessels soon presented their 
^lutations, and informed me that they had started from Macassar at 
16 end of October with the western monsoon, and that they came to 
sh foj. Holothuria (trepang) along the coasts ol New Holland from 
