HOLOTHURIA.
Hey-shun, . . . CHIN. Swala, . . . JAPAN.
Sea cucumber, . ENG. Holothurion, . . LAT.
Sea slug, . . , Trepang, DIALav, JAPAN.
Cornechu, . . . Fa. Biche-da-mar, . Se.
Beche-cle-mer, . . If There are thirty-three species or varieties, and several of them are used as food. They are found in the Mediterranean, in the Eastern Archipelago, Australia, Mauritius, Ceylon, Zanzibar, etc., and are occasionally brought to Bombay from the latter place, and re-exported to China. The great sea cucumber of Europe is the largest of all the known species, and is probably a foot in diameter.
H. oceania, Lesson, is about 40 inches long, and secretes from the surface of its body a fluid which causes an intolerable itching.
H. lutea, Quay and Gaimard, is the Stychopus lu tens, Brandt.
H. tubulosa, Blainville, of the Mediterranean. The Fierasfer Fontanesii, a parasite fish, dwells within it. It is eaten at Naples.
In the Ladrones, H. Guamensis, Quo y and Gaintard, is preferred as food.
H. edulis, the trepang of the Malay, is black. It is found in all the islands from New Holland to Sumatra, and also on most of those in the Pacific ; but is produced in the greatest abundance on Small coral islands, especially those to the south of the Sulu group. The Chinese at Canton call it Hoy-shun, which means sea ginseng.
The holothuria of Raffles Bay is about 6 inches long and 2 inches thick. There are six sorts, the best lying about 12 feet deep. It is an unseemly - looking mollusc. Upwards of 8000 cwt. are yearly sent to China from Macassar ; about 9000 cwt. are exported from Java. It is fished for in April and May, and is relished in China and in Malay countries. They are boiled in
water, then flattened by stones, dried on mats in the sun, and then smoked. It is for the most part caught by the'haud, for it has little power of locomotion ; but in deep water, sometimes by diving or by harpoons. It sells at Singapore at 8 to 115 dollars per pikul of 133* lbs. Trepang, although an article of considerable importance in the trade of the Indian islands, is seldom dealt in by Europeans, which arises from nice or rather capricious distinctions in their quality, which no European is competent to appreciate.
New Caledonia exports annually, to the value of £4000, the white bellied, red bellied, small black, large black, and brown, with teats, selling at £12, £15, £20, £25, and £30 the ton. In China the first quality sells at £90 to £200 the ton. In 1871, 2742 pikuls were received at six Chinese ports. H. scabra, of the Philippine Islands, regu larly lodges in its interior, species of fierasfer and of pinnotheres.
Many of the Holothuridw have.anchor-shaped spicules embedded in their skin, as the Synapta ; while others (Cuviera squamata) are covered with a hard calcareous pavement. Many of these are of a bright red or purple colour, and are very conspicuous ; while the trepang which is not armed with any such defensive weapons, is of a dull sand or mud colour, so as hardly to be dis tinguished from the sea-bed on which it reposes. See Fierasfer.