82 COPEIA 



"The mulleto kingfish (Scomberomorus regalis), and the 

 common kingfish (S. cavalla), are swift and active, and are 

 among the best of food fishes. 



"The jacks (Caranx hippos, C. ruber, and C. crysos), are 

 swift-swimming surface fishes, usually traveling in large schools. 

 Their food consists of the anchovy, pilcher. hog mouth fry. and 

 squid and crabs that live among the Gulf-weed. 



"The red rockfish (Mycteroperca venenosa apua), and the 

 tiger rockfish or gag (M. tic/ris), live on rocky coral bottoms and 

 often in very deep water. Their food consists of small bottom 

 fishes and Crustacea. Both species are captured by hand lines 

 and in traps. 



"All of these fishes are carnivorous, preying upon various 

 species of fishes and invertebrates. There is no evidence what- 

 ever that they feed at any season upon forms which would ren- 

 der their flesh unwholesome. 



"While in the Turk Islands I questioned many fishermen 

 concerning the fishes that were poisonous, the effects of the 

 poison, and at what seasons the fish were most dangerous. With- 

 out exception their reports tallied. All agreed that there were 

 two forms of the disease ; that the fish from the north side of 

 the Islands were the most dangerous, those from the south side 

 not being so likely to prove poisonous. This seems incredible, 

 as the island of Grand Turk, most densely populated of this 

 group of islands, is only one and a half miles wide, by six miles 

 long, and lies in trade winds and the Bahama current, which 

 move all surface food at a considerable rate to the westward. 

 I consulted Dr. Geogaghan, then the Medical Officer of the 

 Colony, who kindly gave me a description of the symptoms, 

 which he had personally experienced in both forms of the 

 disease. 



"Dr. Geogaghan said: 'To my knowledge the common poi- 

 sonous fish are barracuda, jack and mulleto kingfish. In certain 

 places, for some reason or other, the barracuda is more likely 

 to be poisonous than if caught elsewhere. 



' 'There are two distinct kinds of poisoning from these 

 fishes. The ordinary type is similar to ptomaine, being in the 

 nature of a simple gastroenteritis of an irritative sort. It is 

 characterized by acute spasmodic pain in the stomach, diarrhoea, 

 and vomiting, coming on from ten to twenty hours after eating 

 the fish, and subsiding readily under treatment. There is occa- 

 sionally headache, usually fever (101 to 102 degrees F.), and a 

 rapid pulse (90 to 100). Generally speaking, it is an acute 

 gastroenteritis. 



'The other form is in the nature of a toxemia. I have 

 never seen a case following on the eating of jack, but cannot 



