The Zoologist — August, 18G8. 1325 



and throughout the summer, and the very young are mingled with the 

 more fully grown, so long as they continue to be caught in the river — 

 a circumstance which tends to show where the roe is deposited." 



Although the opinion that the whitebait is perfectly distinct from 

 all other fish has been generally accepted by naturalists, fishermen 

 and the public at large, there have never been wanting dissentients, 

 and the columns of the 'Field' have from lime to time contained 

 letters from persons who have believed it to be only the fry of some 

 well-known fish, as the common smelt, the shad or the herring. 

 That whitebait are but herring fry has on various occasions been 

 contended by Mr. Francis Francis. Thus, writing from Aldborough, 

 Suffolk, in the 'Field' of January 10, 1863, he says: — "While going 

 down the river (Aide) one day I picked up the head and shoulders of 

 a diminutive silvery fish, which reminded me strongly of the whitebait. 

 I showed it to the boatman : ' We calls 'em smys, sir; that's what we 

 calls 'em. You'll see hundreds and thousands on 'em just at the back 

 of the wave on the beach in a week or two, soon as ever the herrin' 

 begins to show themselves, and sprats long with 'em, sir.' And sure 

 enough, about a fortnight after, when the herrings began to show 

 themselves, there were myriads of these little fish, just as the boatman 

 said, at the back of the wave, just outside the wave or surf on the 

 beach. ... I took one up and examined it ; it was unmistakably 

 a whitebait. The boys were picking them up by dozens, so I ordered 

 as many as could be secured to be placed in the fish-basket separately. 

 . . . The whitebait were of all sizes, from the most diminutive 

 specimens seen on the table at Blackwall, up to six inches long. The 

 largest were about six inches, the smallest barely an inch. . . 

 Yarrell speaks of the largest whitebait he has ever seen as six inches 

 in length. That is about the length of the two largest specimens 

 which I obtained. He further says that the sprat-fishers take the 

 adult whitebait on the Kentish and Essex coasts frequently during 

 the winter. As regards the adult fish, I opened the two largest I got 

 and examined them very closely, but could detect no traces of either 

 roe or milt. I confess that I should much like to see an adult white- 

 bait ; for Yarrell is so sound an authority, that it is not safe to doubt 

 him, though he is certainly less clear upon the whitebait than he 

 usually is. He certainly speaks of the largest fish he ever saw as six 

 inches long; and mine are six inches long, but certainly not adult 

 fish." 



