122 MEGALOPS THRISSA. 



Nearly all the species belonging to this class of animals are used 

 as food, and many of them afford a sufficiently nutritive and 

 •wholesome aliment. Rut there are some fishes, especially 

 among those inhabiting the tropical seas, which, though eaten 

 with perfect safety at times, are occasionally poisonous. These 

 are the Carribean, or Yellow-bill Sprat, the Barracuda, Sun- 

 fish, and a few more ; none of which appear to frequent the British 

 shores. Of all these the most active and dangerous is the Sprat 

 here represented, which has in several instances been known to 

 destroy life in the space of half an hour. It is a small fish, seldom 

 exceeding twelve inches in length. The head is small, compressed, 

 and without scales ; the mouth is small ; the lower jaw is slightly 

 bent upwards, terminating in a point, which fills up a cavity in the 

 upper ; there are no teeth, but the tongue is hard, and the palate 

 is lined with a rough membrane. The eyes are almost vertical, 

 and very large ; the pupil is black, and inclosed by a silvery iris. 

 The general form of the body, which is compressed vertically, 

 resembles pretty nearly that of the common herring ; the abdomen 

 is arched and serrated beneath. The scales are broad, thin, im- 

 bricated, and closely attached to the skin. The colour is blueish, 

 silvery, with a dusky tinge on the back ; the belly is white, the head 

 yellowish, and a pale yellow line runs along the sides from the gills 

 to the tail. The dorsal fin is slightly scaled at the base, and ter- 

 minated behind or at the shallowest part, by a very long single ray, 

 extending nearly as far as the base of the tail, which is strongly 

 forked. According to Bloch, the pectoral fin has thirteen rays, 

 the ventral eight, the anal and tail twenty-four each, the dorsal 

 sixteen ; all the fins are blueish, except the pectoral, which are red. 



This species is a native of the Indian and American seas. Osbeck 

 and Ellis speak of it as occurring in China ; Plumier observed it 

 at the Antilles, where it is called savalle ; Brown found it at 

 Jamaica ; and Dr. Blagden at Carolina. During the spawning 

 season, which takes place in April and May, it ascends the rivers, 

 and deposits its eggs among reeds and aquatic plants. 



The symptoms which usually ensue from eating the poisonous 

 Sprat are nausea, flushings in the face, vertigo, violent heat and 

 itching over the whole body, sometimes accompanied by a papular 



