52 Ichthyology of the. Firth of Forth. 



the length of the whole fish. In a fish four inches long, the head 

 is exactly one-fourth the entire length. In one two inches long, the 

 head measures more than one-fourth the whole length. Each jaw 

 on the anterior part is furnished with a few small slender teeth, ahout 

 six in number, placed in one row, which are more perceptible on 

 the lower than on the upper jaw ; on the roof of the mouth as well 

 as on the tongue, are placed three or more rows of teeth, which can 

 be easily felt by the assistance of the point of a fine needle. In this 

 respect my observations differ from those of Mr Yarrell, who says, 

 the tongue of the white-bait has an elevated central ridge without 

 teeth ; but it is probable that that author did not examine a dried 

 specimen, for until in that state, it is almost impossible to perceive 

 the teeth, in consequence of their extreme minuteness. This is a 

 most important character, and at once removes it from the shad, 

 which has the tongue and roof of the mouth destitute of teeth. 



The white-bait, four inches long, differs from the herring, sprat, and 

 pilchard of the same length, in the following characters : 



The herring has the dorsal fin half-way between the point of the 

 upper jaw and end of the long caudal rays; with the head nearly 

 one-fifth the entire length. The white-bait has the dorsal fin much 

 nearer the tip of the tail, than to the point of the upper jaw, with 

 the head one-fourth the length of the whole fish ; the body is more 

 compressed, of a much lighter colour, and the belly much rougher 

 under the pectorals, than is observed in the herring. 



The sprat has the origin of the ventral fins situated anterior to a 

 vertical line dropped from the first dorsal ray, with 48 vertebrae ; 

 the white-bait has 56 vertebras, with the origin of the ventral 

 fins placed behind the third ray of the dorsal. In the pilchard the 

 dorsal fin is placed exactly in the centre of gravity, so that when 

 the fish is held up by the anterior rays, the body preserves an equili- 

 brium, whereas if the white-bait, herring, or sprat, be taken up by 

 the same part, the head will be observed to dip considerably. 



The stomach of the white-bait I have found frequently filled with 

 minute Crustacea. 



Clupea sprattus. — (Sprat or Garvie Herring.) Tab. I. Fig. 2. 

 Dorsal fin nearer the tip of the tail than to the point of the upper 

 jaw ; ventral fins before the dorsal. 



This little fish, although well known to every one by the name 

 of Sprat or Garvie Herring, is not admitted by all to be a distinct 

 species, being considered as the young of the pilchard or the herring. 

 This mistake is not to be wondered at, since authors either omit the 



