lyS MARKETABLE BRITISH MARINE FISHES 



The Shads. 

 Allis Shad {Clnpea alosa) and Twait Shad {Clupea finta). 



DistinguisJiing Characters. — Dorsal commences nearer to the 

 end of the snout than to the root of the tail ; pelvic fin behind 

 the commencement of the dorsal. Radiating lines on the gill- 

 cover and beneath the eye. Teeth minute and easily detached 

 in both jaws, none on the palate or tongue. The upper jaw 

 deeply notched in the centre, and reaching back farther than the 

 hinder edge of the eye. Scales smaller than in the pilchard ; 

 spines on the edge of the belly strong and sharp. 



In the allis shad the gill rakers on the lower portion of the 

 first gill arch are long and sixty to eighty in number ; in the 

 twait shad they are thicker and shorter, twenty to twenty-eight 

 in number. Spots along the upper part of the side, from the 

 upper corner of the gill-cover backwards, are present in both 

 species, but in the allis shad disappear in the larger and older 

 fish. 



The allis shad is said to reach 4 feet in length and 8 lbs. in 

 weight, but 2 feet long is its usual limit. The twait shad grows 

 to 16 inches and 2 lbs. in weight. 



Habitat. — These are coast fishes, which ascend rivers in 

 order to spawn, and are not taken usually in large shoals in the 

 sea, though as many as 600 of the allis shad have been taken 

 in a mackerel seine. The allis shad is said to be absent from 

 Sweden, and is not mentioned as occurring in the Mediterranean. 

 The twait shad is abundant in the Nile, and elsewhere in the 

 Mediterranean, and occurs on the Atlantic coast northward to 

 Scandinavia. Both species occur in the Severn, and along the 

 south coast of England, also along the east coast to the Firth of 

 Forth and Banff. They occur round the coasts of Ireland. 



Food. — From the form of the gill-rakers, and from occasional 

 examination of the contents of the stomach, it appears that 

 they often subsist on minute Crustacea, but frequently when 

 they have the opportunity they feed on small fishes, especially 

 young sprats, which were found in the stomachs of eight 

 specimens of the allis shad taken in Plymouth Sound in 

 August. 



