POISON FISHES. 453 



Some of our fishes deserve peculiar notice on account of their 

 poisonous nature, or from their sometimes dangerous and even 

 fatal encounter with man. I have already mentioned the barra- 

 cuta ; the sharks are too well known to deserve any lengthened 

 notice. The fishes of the above description to be met in the 

 gulf, and on the coasts, are the common shark (Oarcharias) , the 

 pantoufflier (Zygaena), and the rays. The number of sharks in 

 the gulf is surprising, particularly during the whaling season ; and 

 they, at times, occasion great loss to the fishers, as many as several 

 thousands being said to prey on a dead whale, so that people are 

 specially employed in killing them ; this is done with a hatchet, 

 or a sort of sharp spade, by which means the spine is divided 

 at one single blow ; large numbers are thus despatched. The 

 armed, or sting-ray is often the cause of serious accidents. The 

 barracuta and a small fish called coulirou are occasionally 

 poisonous ; but the only evil effects brought on, are vomiting and 

 purging, accompanied with urticaria, and which easily yield to 

 proper treatment. The scorpaena, or " Vingt-quatre-heures," is 

 also considered a dangerous fish, and is much dreaded on account 

 of the accidents it causes. Dr. Leotand was twice wounded by 

 the scorpaena, and thus describes the symptoms he felt: " on the 

 first occasion, when wounded in the toe, the pain was at first very 

 severe locally, but soon retired to seize on the ankle-joint, then 

 the knee, the hip, and the shoulder, in succession the pain 

 gradually dislodging from the parts primarily affected. From the 

 shoulder, it extended to the corresponding side of the chest, at 

 which period, the respiration became laboured, the pulmonary 

 functions apparently ceased, and I fainted. A fever followed 

 that lasted twelve hours, after which, health was restored, by the 

 entire cessation of the pain, which disappeared, in like manner as 

 on its access, though following an inverse course." On the next 

 occasion, the scorpaena being of a very small size, the symptoms 

 were similar in kind, but much less in intensity. 



The accidents brought on by the tetraodon, or " Chouf-chouf," 

 are of a different nature ; the flesh itself is poisonous, as proved 

 by the following facts : a large tetraodon having been boiled, in 

 order to get the skeleton, the flesh was thrown away in the court- 

 yard, and two cats, as many ducks and pigs, on accidentally eating 

 of the same, died from its effects. Again, sometime in the year 

 1854, two young children died, within a few hours, after having 



