92 FISH GALLERY. 



young Sprats during the winter and young Herrings during the 

 summer. 

 Pilchard. The Pilchard, Clupea pilchardus, 263, unlike the Herring, 



is a warm water fish, distributed from Cornwall and the South of 

 Ireland to Madeira and the Mediterranean. It is taken in drift- 

 nets and seines, and is fished for near the coast during the feeding 

 migrations, and not when spawning. The fishery fluctuates greatly, 

 but the Cornish take is rarely less than 100,000 cwts. per annum, 

 valued at £30,000. The Pilchard is smaller than the Herring and 

 may be distinguished by its having well-marked radiating ridges 

 on the gill-cover ; another test common among the Coimish 

 fishermen is practised by holding the fish by the tip of its dorsal 

 fin : the Pilchard's body hangs horizontally, but that of the 

 Herring dips slightly down at the head end, since the dorsal fin is 

 set a little farther back in that fish than in the Pilchard. The 

 fishes known as Sardines are young Pilchards. The Sardine 

 fishery of the West coast of France is a valuable one, but is 

 subject to great fluctuations, and a scarcity of the fish has at times 

 given rise to a critical situation on the French coast. 

 Sprat. The Sprat, Clupea sprattus, 26Jj, is a small species of Clupea, 



generally distributed around the British Isles and the coasts 

 of continental Europe. It may be distinguished from young 

 Herrings by having no teeth on the vomerine bone, and by having 

 only a single air-vesicle in the ear instead of two; careful 

 dissection is required for the application of this latter test, but it 

 is the most reliable one that can be adopted in discriminating 

 between Sprat Whitebait and Herring Whitebait. 



Of the Shads, two are caught on the coasts and in the 

 estuaries of Britain, the Allis Shad, Clupea alosa, 256, and the 

 Thwaite Shad, Clupea fiat a, 257 ; there is no regular fishery for 

 Shad in British waters as there is in the Rhine and some of the 

 other large rivers of continental Europe. The average size of the 

 Allis Shad is that of the specimen exhibited (3 lbs.), the 

 Thwaite Shad is usually smaller. The Thwaite and Allis may be 

 distinguished by the former having 21-27 stout^ rigid gill-rakers 

 on the first gill arch and the latter 60-80 very fine, long and 

 flexible gill-rakers on the first arch (259 and 258). 



Shad. 



