SOUTH CAROLINA 191 



of the liver were the most severely attacked. The in- 

 habitants of Rhode Island know of a good many such 

 instances. But every year thousands of this sort of 

 fish are eaten, being especially sought for on account 

 of their goodness, and no bad effects are experienced, 

 hence the people do not know what cause to assign 

 for these particular instances. The opinion is pretty 

 wide-spread that such fishes have fed on sea-plants 

 growing at the bottom of the ocean or on ' copper- 

 bottoms ' along the shore. But this is nothing but an 

 opinion ; for it is not at all known for certain that these 

 fish feed on sea-plants, or that the waters of that 

 region have copper-bearing bottoms. The likelihood is 

 that such fishes have sickened from some special 

 cause,* and that their livers in such circumstances 

 show especially injurious properties. That this organ 



* " The particular food that fish get at particular seasons 

 " and places gives them at one time harmful properties which 

 " at another they do not possess. There are coral-eating fish 

 "in the East Indian waters which cause grievous effects if 

 " caught and eaten at the season when they are beginning to 

 " work among the polyps hidden in the madrepores, and these 

 " they are gluttonous after. This season is in January, Feb- 

 " ruary, and March." This observation of Sonnerat's is con- 

 firmed by Meunier ; the latter adds : that these polyps are of 

 the nature of several species of sea-nettles (Medusae, Holo- 

 thuriae &c.) which if taken in the hand, cause a burning on 

 the skin; hence it may easily be conjectured that the sharp 

 juices of these polyps infect such fish as eat them with a simi- 

 lar burning sharpness. Rozier, Sammlung, II, No. 22 & 23. 

 Of these medusae and holothuriae there are a number in 

 American waters, and it is deserving of more exact confirma- 

 tion whether they do not give rise to harmful changes in 

 fishes. 



