436 PISCES (OSSEI) MALACOPT. [CLUPEA. 



This species has by many authors been confounded with the young 

 of the Herring. Pennant was the first to point out its true distinguish- 

 ing characters. It is very abundant in the Thames during the Winter, 

 entering the river (according to Pennant) in the beginning of November, 

 and leaving it in March. It is also found on other parts of the coast, but 

 not every-where in plenty. Mr. Couch states *, that he never saw above 

 one specimen of the true Sprat in Cornwall ; though the Cornish fisher- 

 men apply this name to the young of both the Herring and the Pilchard. 



119. C. alba, Yarr. (White-Bait.) Minute teeth in 

 both jaws : dorsal further back than in the Herring : 

 ventrals beneath the middle of the dorsal : keel of the 

 abdomen serrated : anal with sixteen rays. 



C. alba, Yarr. in Zool. Journ. vol. iv. pp. 137, and 465. pi. 5. f. 2. 

 C. latulus, Cuv. Reg. An. torn. n. p. 318. White-Bait, Penn. 

 Brit. Zool. vol. in. p. 371. pi. 69. no. 176. Id. (Edit. 1812.) 

 vol. in. p. 465. pi. 80. 



LENGTH. Three to four inches, rarely four inches nine lines. 



DESCRIPT. Body more compressed than in the Herring, the thick- 

 ness being less than half the depth : abdominal serratures much sharper 

 than in either the Herring or Sprat, but not so sharp as in the Shad, in 

 which last species they are also of a different form : head one- fourth of 

 the entire length: lower jaw longest: teeth very minute; those in the 

 lower jaw confined to the extremity ; upper jaw with the lower half of 

 the maxillaries finely serrated: eyes large; their diameter nearly one- 

 third the length of the head : lateral line distinctly marked, and straight : 

 dorsal a very little further back than in the Herring 1 }; ventrals imme- 

 diately beneath it : number of fin-rays, 



D. 19; A. 16; C. 19, &c.; P. 16; V. 9. 



Number of vertebrae fifty-six. 



Supposed formerly to have been the young of the Shad $, but clearly 

 proved by Mr. Yarrell to be a distinct species. Found only in the 

 Thames, which river it ascends in April, sometimes as early as the 

 end of March. Abundant throughout the Summer about Greenwich 

 and Blackwall, but never found higher up the river than the locality 

 last mentioned. Supposed to deposit its spawn during Winter. Swims 

 near the surface. Food minute shrimps. 



120. C. Pilchardus, Bloch. (Pilchard.) Teeth ob- 

 solete : infra-orbitals and opercular pieces strongly veined : 

 subopercle square at bottom : dorsal exactly in the centre 

 of gravity : ventrals beneath the posterior half of the 

 dorsal. 



* Loudon's Mag. of Nat. Hist. vol. v. p. 315. 



t Cuvier says plus avancte, but I have not found it so in our English specimens, at least in 

 those which 1 have examined. 



t The White-Bait represented in Donovan's British Fishes (vol. v. pi. 98.) are really young 

 Shads, and not the above species. 



