102 



alone. In a note to "Cuvier's Animal Kingdom" it is stated 

 "that these fishes produce several wounds with the dorsal 

 spines which the fishermen believe to be poisonous, but it is 

 merely rugged, and lacerates an ill conditioned wound, similar 

 to what is inflicted by the antler of the stag." It seems to 

 be impossible after examination, to agree with this view of the 

 case, for the spines certainly are not rugged but perfectly 

 smooth, neither is the wound which they make a lacerated 

 one, in by far the greatest number of instances, but a simple 

 puncture, and the painful result arises equally from either kind 

 of breach of surface. I saw a man a day or two ago who had 

 been stung about ten hours before, his finger was then tender 

 after the usual four or five hours of intense pain, but the 

 appearance of the wounded part, was merely that of a pin's 

 prick. It seems difficult to understand why we should have 

 such prolonged painful consequences after every case of punc- 

 ture by the Weever, and not after those of other fishes who are 

 furnished with spinous projections, if they proceed from mere 

 mechanical irritation. 



It has been supposed that the animal is capable of secreting 

 mucus from its skin of great acridity, which, following the 

 spine into the wound, might produce the effects we have men- 

 tioned; and, if we could not demonstrate the existence of a 

 special poison organ, it seems to be the best explanation to 

 meet the case. A large quantity of mucous is secreted by 

 means of glands under the skin in all fishes, but it would be 

 very remarkable that the Trachinus only should secrete it of so 

 irritating a quantity. The upper part of the membrane covering 

 the spines, especially the opercular ones, forms such loose 

 envelopes to them, that it is quite possible a portion of such 

 secretion might intervene between the spine and its sheath and, 

 in that case the spine would always have a charge of virus 

 ready for use. I always favoured the idea that acrid mucous, 

 either normally so formed, or the result of excitement, was the 

 cause of the phenomena we have been considering until 



