684 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



board the gunboat Magallanes had an opportunity of proving Poey's 

 statement that the fishes caught on the coast of Cuba are often very 

 poisonous. No less than twenty-seven of the officers and men were 

 taken ill, most of them with gastro-intestinal disturbance of a more 

 or less severe nature; the others suffered from nervous symptoms. 



The horse mackerel, green cavalla, and the jack are often found 

 most unwholesome when caught in West Indian waters. 



In Barbados a whole family were seized with symptoms simu- 

 lating cholera from eating " green cavalla." 



The editor of The Barbadian writes : " We think it right to cau- 

 tion people against the fish called ' green cavalla ' from being pur- 

 chased by their cooks. Some years ago we know that several indi- 

 viduals were extremely ill from eating this fish, which is frequently 

 very poisonous. The night before last a whole family in Bridge- 

 town, except the master, who fortunately had dined out, were seized 

 with violent cholera after having partaken of cavalla." 



The " jack " (Caran plumieri) is found to be poisonous in some 

 seasons of the year, and it is said that at such times two small red 

 lumps appear in its gills. When they are suspected of being in a 

 poisonous condition an experiment is tried upon a duck by giving 

 her one of them to swallow, and if at that season it is poisonous the 

 duck dies in about two hours. The " rock hind," or " smoky hind," 

 after attaining a certain size becomes most unwholesome, and often 

 infested with parasites. Numerous instances of severe symptoms 

 attacking persons after eating this fish are recorded. 



Toadfish, or Tetrodons, are occasionally met with, and are to 

 be avoided as being extremely poisonous, especially if the roe or 

 liver be eaten. A family of coolies in Trinidad, in spite of being 

 warned, ate one of these fishes, with a fatal result. The symptoms 

 were blunted sensibility, trembling, general muscular weakness, 

 difficulty of breathing, vomiting of blood, convulsions, and death. 



The Diodonts, " trunkfishes," are not nearly so poisonous as the 

 Tetrodonts, but they are found to be very noxious at certain times 

 or in certain localities, more especially if the gall bladder, liver, and 

 intestines are not removed before cooking. It is reported that 

 those persons who had eaten them suffered from loss of sensibility, 

 cold sweat over the whole body, and stiffened limbs. Death followed 

 in some cases. 



The " prickly bottle fish " (Diodon orbicularis), met with in the 

 Gulf of Mexico, is said to be injurious when eaten. 



The Ostracion triqueter, called in the West Indies " fair maid," 

 " plate fish," " trunkfish," is often eaten with no ill effects by the 

 negroes, who, after cleaning it, bake it in its hard shell-like cover- 

 ing. There is, however, a gelatinous matter near the tail which is 



