180 CLUPEID^. 



nets, working near the bottom, principally arrest the fry of 

 the ground-swimming fishes. 



The Sprat-fishers take Whitebait frequently on the Kent- 

 ish and Essex coasts throughout the winter. 



The length of the head compared with that of the body 

 alone is as two to five ; the depth of the body compared to 

 the whole length of the fish, as one to five : the dorsal fin 

 commences half-way between the point of the closed jaws 

 and the ends of the short middle caudal rays ; the longest 

 ray of the dorsal fin as long as the base of the fin : the ven- 

 tral fin arises behind the line of the commencement of the 

 dorsal, and half-way between the point of the closed jaws and 

 the end of the longest caudal rays ; the tail long and deeply 

 forked. The fin-rays in number are — 



D. 17 : P. 15 : V. 9 : A. 15 : C. 20. Vertebrse 56. 



The head is elongated ; the dorsal line less convex than 

 that of the abdomen ; the scales deciduous ; the abdominal 

 line strongly serrated from the pectoral fin to the anal 

 aperture. 



The lower jaw the longest, and smooth ; the upper slightly 

 crenated : the tongue with an elevated central ridge without 

 teeth : the eye large ; the irides silvery : the upper part of 

 the back pale greenish ash ; all the lower part, the cheeks, 

 gill-covers, sides, and belly, silvery white : dorsal and caudal 

 fins coloured like the back ; the latter tipped with dusky : 

 pectoral, ventral, and anal fins, white. The only food I 

 could find in the stomach were the remains of minute Crus- 

 tacea. 



For a representation of the mode of fishing for Whitebait, 

 see the vignette at page 1S5, to which the block was trans- 

 ferred for want of sufficient space here. 



