THE SPRAT. 323 



Description. — From a specimen five inches and a half inlength. Head 

 nearby one-fifth the whole length of the fish, tail-fin included ; depth of 

 the body under the dorsal fin equal to the length of the head ; ventral 

 line rather more convex than that of the dorsal, especially in front 

 of the ventrals ; gill-cover rounder at its posterior-inferior margin and 

 slightly notched at its upper border; eyes large and round, occupy- 

 ing one-half the depth of the head, and situated half-way between 

 the point of the lower jaw and the posterior margin of the opercu- 

 lum ; head on the summit flat, smooth and transparent, with a tri- 

 angular reddish- coloured spot placed in a line over the posterior 

 half of the orbit. Colour of the back greenish with a shade of grey ; 

 sides and belly silvery- white ; pectoral, ventral, and anal fins pure 

 white; dorsal and caudal slightly dusky ; jaws tipped with black. 

 Dorsal fin placed nearer the end of the caudal rays than to the point 

 of the upper jaw ; the first ray very short, the second, third, and 

 fourth gradually increasing in length, the fifth the longest in the fin, 

 reaching, when folded down, to the base of the last ray, all the rays 

 branched except the first five, which are simple ; caudal fin deeply 

 forked, the middle ray not one-half the length of the longest ray. 

 Third ray of the anal fin the longest, about one-third the length of 

 the base of the fin, all the rays branched except the two first; ven- 

 trals small, equal in length to the eighth ray of the dorsal, arising in 

 a line a little in advance of the dorsal fin ; pectorals as long as the 

 base of the anal fin. Teeth small and fine in both jaws, and few in 

 number, situated on the most anterior part, more perceptible on the 

 lower than on the upper jaw ; tongue furnished with fine teeth as well 

 as the roof of the mouth ; under jaw the longest ; maxillary extend- 

 ing back as far as in a line under the middle of the eye. Belly strongly 

 serrated as far as the anal aperture, with thirty-three teeth, their 

 points directing backwards. Scales large and very deciduous, placed \ 

 in seven or eight rows between the dorsal and ventral fins ; axillary \ 

 scales nearly half as long as the fin. (Mr Yarrell states, they have H 

 no axillary scales.) Number of fin rays — 



D. 17 ; P. 15 ; V. 7 ; A. 18 ; C. 19 ; Vert. 48; Cjeca about 12. 



Sprats are found to frequent the whole of the British 

 coasts, but are observed to exist in much greater numbers 

 on the central part of the eastern coast than elsewhere. 

 They are found in the Firth of Forth throughout the whole 

 of the year, and, like many small animals, appear very sus- 

 ceptible of cold. During the warm summer months, they 

 are seen sporting about in large shoals, in every part of the 

 Forth, occupying a considerable extent of water, and caus- 



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