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OX POISONOUS FISHES AND FISH-POISONS. 



BY RICHARD HILL. 



Dr Burroughs has given a long list of the fishes of the West Indian 

 seas, either known or reputed to be poisonous, with the scientific names by 

 which he recognised thenias given in the first column. It would be diffi- 

 cult to certify the fishes by the names he gives, unaided by the trivial or 

 popular specification of them. I have run over the list, and set down the 

 genera and species assigned to them by Cuvier, giving you such remarks by 

 the way as seem necessary to be added to them. 



Balistes monoceros Old wife Batistes riugens 



Ostracion globellum Smooth bottle-fish } 



Tetraodon sceleratus Tunny > 



Tetraodon oculatus Blower or blazer ) 



The fishes here intended cannot be specifically determined. All Ostracions, 

 Diodons, and Tetraodons are deleterious fishes. We have several under 

 these three denominations, and it is not necessary to do more than say that 

 all are to be treated as objectionable, if not absolutely dangerous fishes. 



Murcena major 

 Coryphcena splendens 

 Spams chrysops 

 Curacinus fuscus major 

 Cor acinus minor 

 Perca major 

 Perca venenosa 

 Perca venerata 

 Scomber ihynnus 

 Scomber maximus 

 Scomber cozruleo or 



Genteus nudus 

 Mormyrus 

 Clupea ihryssa 



Conger eel 



Dolphin 



Porgee 



Grey snapper 



Hyrie 



Barracouta 



Grouper 



Rock-fish 



Bonito 



King-fish 



Gymnothorax rostratus 

 Corypliama dorado 

 Pagellus calamus 

 Serranus arara 

 Serra?ius nigriculus 

 Sphyrana barracuda 

 Scorpaina grandicornis 

 Serranus catus 

 Tkynnus Coretta 

 Cybium Solandri 



Cybium regale 

 Scarus cazruleus 



Spanish mackerel 

 Blue parrot-fish 



Yellow-tailed sprat Alosa Bishopi 

 Fortunately, however, of all the above, the Clupea thryssa, or yellow-tailed 

 sprat, is the only one at all times dangerous. In the other species of fish, 

 poison may be said to be only incidental or accidental ; but in this it is 

 inherent. The effects of this poison on the human frame are violent to a 

 terrific degree — death occurring immediately in many cases, and in some 

 instances on record so quickly that the sprats were not even swallowed. 



Many have been the learned disquisitions, why fish should at one period 

 prove nutritious, and at another detrimental. The old and popular notion 

 that the fish becomes poisonous by having its feeding-grounds near copper 

 banks, or in places where copper had been deposited, though long since 

 deemed improbable by naturalists, still finds supporters, and every once in 

 a while we find the theory advanced in public as completely accounting for 

 the poisonous nature of our fishes. 



We believe the present opinion is, that some morbid change takes place 

 in the system of the fish, under peculiar circumstances which make it 

 poisonous ; but in what that change consists, or what are the circumstances 

 which induce this change, is not known. 



It appears to us, however, that the opinion of Dr Ferguson, read before 



