ST. AUGUSTIN TO BAHAMA ISLANDS 277 



decorate with motly and pure colors than are these 

 dumb ocean-dwellers. 



To give a list of the fishes occurring in the Bahama 

 waters would be merely to repeat the names of those 

 found in the other West Indian waters and in part also 

 (at least during summer) on the coast of the continent. 

 Of edible fishes there are a great number, but oppor- 

 tunity was lacking to see them all. Among others 

 there were mentioned the Rock fish, Cuckold fish, Jew 

 fish, Albecore, Rainbow, Sailor's Choice, Schoolmaster, 

 Blue fish, Mullets, Stingers, Squirrels, Ten Pounders, 

 Trumpet fish, and many others, good edible fish. A 

 few others appeared at our table ; the Maggot fish 

 (Spams Chrysops L.) Pudding fish (Spams radia- 

 tus L.) ; a blue Tetrodon ; the Murcana ; (Perca 

 chrysoptera L.) the Suet fish (Ostracion triqueter 

 L.). Oldwife (Balistes Vetitla L.) the Turbot (Ba- 

 tistes Monoceros L.) &c. 



The most are of good taste ; but of some there are un- 

 favorable opinions, they being held to be noxious ; the 

 Barracuda-fish, for example, which in Cuba is reck- 

 oned among the best of fishes, is here regarded with 

 suspicion, thought to be not only unwholesome but 

 even poisonous. The belief already mentioned, that 

 fishes which frequent (imagined) copper-banks show 

 poisonous qualities, is prevalent here also. The ob- 

 servation is just, but the cause yet to be assigned. 

 Certain fishes at divers times excite in those eating 

 them pricking pains in the skin and transient erup- 

 tions. In order to avoid these fishes, it is advised here 

 to drop a piece of pure silver in the water in which 

 the fish is boiled, and this, if the fish is poisonous, 



