THE AllCHOVr. 983 



tye3^are large ; the irides white, with a caft of yellow ; 

 the under jaw much fnorter than the upper ; the teeth 

 fmall ; a row in each jaw, and another on the middle of 

 the tongue. The fcales are lar^e and deciduous j the 

 back greenj and femipellucid ; the fides and b'ellj fi'Iverj 

 find opaque ; the edge G'f the belly fniooth, and the tail 

 forked. 



The genus of herrings, according to Lhinieuf, contains 

 eleven fpecies ; an ong thefe, however, the pilchard is 

 not enumerated ; although, from its hiftorj, we have 

 leen that it is one of the moil common, and perhaps the 

 moft numerous, fifii upon our coafls. 



The fprat is alfo a very common fpecies belonging to 

 this genus, which IVlllougbby and Ray have fuppofed to 

 be the fry of the herring. It nearly refembles the an^ 

 chovy in fize and Ihape ; but from the time of its ap- 

 pearance on our coafts, it feenf>s to be a dillln^l race from, 

 the herring. Thefe fi(h come into the river Thames in 

 the beginning of November, and continue there tilt 

 March ; a feafon when the herring ha'''e long retired into" 

 the North Sea. During the whole of the Winter feafon, 

 they conilitute a large portion of the food of the citizens 

 of London. At Gravefend and Tarmoxith^ ^^'^y ^^"^ curcd( 

 like red herring, and fometimes pickled like anchovies -, 

 from which they difler but little in their fltivour. 



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