FISH MAWS, Fish Sounds, Air-bladder, Swim.
I Singally, Sozilly, . BENG. SOzili (small), GUJ., H/ND. Loo-pa loo-pa, . CHIN. Palogpong ikan, . BlaLny. Poota (large), GILL, HIND. Ari, Ari ikan„ . „ Are terms applied in oriental commerce to the air-bladder, sound, or swim of fishes. It is an article of luxury with the Chinese, and forms an important article of e.xport from all the S.E. coasts of Asia. Small quantities of the superior kind are occasionally sent to England, from which it is _ . . . . . _. .. .
of fish maws in Bombay-, the poota and sozili, the difference consisting merely in the size,—the latter being about one-fourth the size of the former. They are of yellowish tinge, and are cured by stretching them in the sun. If they become damp, they soon decay and aro then worthless. They are brought t,o China in junks from the Indian islands. At Singapore and in China the price is from 35 to 70 dols. per pikul, and, together with birds' nests, beche-de-rner, and sharks' fins, aro consumed by the Chinese for their supposed strengthening and reatorative properties. That the fish maws are iainglass,
appears to have been the discovery of an anony mous correspondent in Parbury's Oriental Herald for January 1839. The fishes from which iainglass is obtained at Penang are,—Lates lieptadactylus, Ikan siyakup ; Polynemus Indicus, Ikan kurow ; Otolithus biauritus, Ikan salatnpae ; O. ruber, O. argenteus, O. maculatus, all called Jarang gigi; Johnius diacanthus, Ikan tambareli ; Lobotes erate, Ikan batu ; Arius truncatus, A. arius, A. militaris, all called Dian saludu. Their export from British India, from 1857-58 to 1860-61, ranged up to 1,002,624, value Hs. 99,620 ; and in recent years W3S :— Lbs. Rs. Lbs. RS.
1875-76, 876,624 2,51,603 1878-79, 1,238,728 3,75,560 1876-77, 066,658 3,40,792 1879-80, 1,145,968 3,80,620 1877-78, 1,082,681 3,86,490 The air-bladders of fishes that swim near the surface aro small, and are wholly absent in those which, like the flat fishes (Pleuronectidte), live near the bottom.