56 THE AGRICULTURAL PESTS OF INDIA. 



Colonel Play fair (Fishes of Zanzibar, 1866) denies these 

 fish being poisonous. 



In the Straits of Malacca, Clupeonia perforata has 

 never been known to produce bad effects. 



Species of the genus Ostracion are at times deleterious, 

 and always so are the Meletta venenosa, and M. thryssa, 

 Vol., the Caranx fallax, Cuv., the Scar us capitaneus, Guv., 

 and the Diodon tigrinus, Cuv. The Balistes are very 

 indigestible, even poisonous, after they feed on certain 

 zoophytes. 



Some carps in the Himalayas, as Oreinus, are very un- 

 wholesome, or cause poisonous symptoms until accustomed 

 to them. With strangers they set up intense colic pains, 

 and often diarrhoea and vomiting. The Semiplotus of 

 the Assam rivers gives rise to these symptoms with most 

 strangers. 



Dr. A. Collas, of the French Navy, writing from 

 Pondicherry in 1861, mentioned that dangerous symptoms 

 were produced in that community by using the calou- 

 oulouve, which he identified as the Gobius criniger, Cuv. 

 et Vol. This fish is apt to affect all strangers. The 

 people had always to remove carefully the head and 

 intestines, and wash with repeated waters ; fowls died 

 and dogs vomited and died on eating the heads and 

 viscera. 



Some Mauritius fish are said to be unhealthy when the 

 coral is in bloom. 



Mr. Forbes mentions, in his Eastern Archipelago, that 

 a species of Scarus of the lagoons of the Cocos Keeling 

 island requires to be prepared for the table with very great 

 care ; for should the gall-bladder be ruptured, and its 

 contents escape into the body-cavity, the flesh of the fish 

 becomes quite poisoned. Several fatal cases had occurred 



