THE BOOK ABOUT THE SEA GARDENS 



of the genus Caranx, belonging to the horse- 

 mackerel family (Carangidse) . There are a num- 

 ber of species in the West Indies ; several are good 

 food fishes, but some may be seriously poisonous 

 at times. The flesh of these fishes decomposes 

 rapidly, and it seems probable that this is the 

 only reason why some species may be poisonous. 

 But in other species there is evidently something 

 more, and it seems likely that at the approach of 

 and during the .breeding season the genital glands 

 may form a poisonous secretion. 



"Jack (Caranx plumieri). From Schomburgh's 

 'History of Barbadoes' Hughes reports that the 

 jack (Caranx plumieri) are in some seasons of 

 the year, especially when caught in Christ Church 

 parish or thereabouts, very poisonous, and that at 

 such times there were in their gills two small red 

 lumps. When they are suspected of being pois- 

 onous an experiment is tried upon a duck, by giv- 

 ing her one of them to swallow, and if at that 

 season it is poisonous, the duck dies in about two 

 hours. 



"Yellow-billed sprat, the Chipes thrissa of some 

 authors (Opisthonera oglinum of modern writers) 

 is an important food fish of the herring family 

 (Clupeidte) ; it is said to be extremely poisonous 

 when taken in certain localities; it is likely that 

 these will prove to be localities to which these 

 fishes resort when breeding. 



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