THE SHAD. 



Severn and Thames shad Twaite. 



the river that flows near Gloucester, where they 

 are taken in nets, and often sell dearer than 

 salmon. The London fishmongers distinguish 

 the Severn from the Thames shad by calling the 

 former alose. The old fish come from the sea 

 into the river in full roe, but where they spawn 

 is not determined, for their fry has not yet been, 

 ascertained. The Severn shad is sometimes, 

 though rarely, caught in the Thames. They con- 

 tinue in the Severn about two months, and are 

 succeeded by a variety called the twaite, which 

 is taken in great numbers, but held in as little 

 regard as the shad of the Thames. The chief 

 difference between these varieties are, that the 

 twaite has three or four black spots on the sides, 

 placed one under the other; if only one spot, it 

 is always near the gill. The weight of the shad 

 is seldom less than four pounds ; that of the 

 twaite never exceeds two. Ancient naturalists 

 say, that the shad is a fish of passage of the Nile; 

 that it is also found in the Mediterranean, near 

 Smyrna, and on the coast of Egypt, near Ro- 

 setta^ and that in the months of December and 

 January it ascends the Nile as high as Cairo, 

 where the people stuff it with pot-marjoram; 

 and when dressed in that manner, it will nearly 

 intoxicate the eater. 



