292 FISHES AND FISHING. 



tion of fatty matter which enter into their compo 

 sition, the fifth I have before explained, and the last 

 from the indigestible nature of its flesh ; the effects 

 of the former, are nausea, and probably bilious head 

 ache; and the latter, efflorescence of the skin, partially 

 or wholly, with some fever. 



In the eastern parts of the world there are poison 

 ous fish, such as the Tetradon Ocellatus of Linnaeus, 

 round in Japan, where it is prohibited to be eaten by 

 the officers and soldiers ; so in the western there are 

 many of that description, some that will destroy life 

 in half an hour, by exciting the most frightful con 

 vulsions ; the yellow^ bill sprat has this property. 

 Many of the other fishes in the West Indies, which 

 have the character of being poisonous, may be safely 

 eaten if the precaution be adopted to take out every 

 portion of the entrails immediately the fish is cap 

 tured ; if it remain long before this be done, the 

 whole fish becomes unfit for food, which appears as 

 if its aliment were of a deleterious nature, and the 

 same thing occurs with the above fish of Japan. 

 This gives a strong reason for adopting the method 

 of taking out the entrails of all fish, as soon as 

 possible after they are caught. And much of the 

 injurious properties ascribed to the six species offish 

 which I have named, may be traced to the length of 

 time they are kept in a state apparently fit for food, 



