THE WHITEBAIT. 325 



The Sprat is easily distinguished from the herring, pil- 

 chard, and whitebait, by the position of the ventral fins ; 

 in the Sprat, if a vertical line be dropped from the origin of 

 the first dorsal ray, it will fall behind the base of the ven- 

 tral ! n ; whereas in the herring, pilchard, and whitebait, the 

 ventrals are imder the dorsal. 



Clupea ai.b.a.* — The Whitebait. 



Specific Characters. — Dorsal fin placed nearer the tip of the caudal 

 fin than to the point of the upper jaw ; ventral fins under the dor- 

 sal. (See Plate XXXV.) 



Description. — From a specimen two inches and a half In length. 

 Occasionally specimens are found to measure the length of five inches. 

 Shape of the body resembles that of the young herring, but rather 

 more compressed^ and of a deeper form. The head, in a specimen 

 five inches long, not quite one-fourth the length of the whole fish ; 

 in a fish four inches long, the head measures one-fourth of the entire 

 length ; in one two inches long, the head is more tlian one-fourth of 

 the whole length. Colour of the upper part of the back, from the 

 nape to the tail, of a pale greenish-ash ; sides, gill-covers, pectoral, 

 ventral, and anal fins of a beautiful pure white ; dorsal and caudal 

 fins straw-colour, minutely spotted with dark brown ; head, on the 

 summit, in young specimens, marked with a large brown spot, which 

 is divided, anteriorly by a white line ; each orbit on the superior mar- 

 gin tinged with black, as well as the posterior-inferior margin, but in 

 a less degree. First ray of the dorsal fin commences exactly mid- 

 way between the point of the upper jaw and the end of the middle 

 caudal rays ; ventrals placed behind the third ray of the dorsal ; tail 

 fin deepl}' forked, the middle ray being not quite half the length of 

 the longest ray of the same fin ; pectorals pointed, much longer than 

 the base of the anal fin. Scales thin, very deciduous, not so large 

 as those of the sprat ; under jaw the longest ; each jaw, on the an- 

 terior part, furnished with a few small slender teeth, about six in 

 number, placed in one row, w hich are more j^erceptible on the lower 

 than on th^ upper jaw ; on the roof of the mouth, as well as on the 

 tongue, are placed three or more rows of teeth, which can be easily 

 felt by the assistance of the point of a fine needle. Mr Yarrell says, 

 the tongue of the whitebait has an elevated central ridge without 

 teeth ; it is probable that a dried specimen was not examined, for, 

 until in that state, it is almost impossible to perceive the teeth, in 



* Clupea alba, Yarr. 



