Zoology.-] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Fishes. 



the caudal fin yellow with a black margin. These colors, however, 

 fade quickly in spirit or on dried skins ; so this coloring, noted by 

 Cuvier on a drawing from life, of a fish of which he had never seen 

 a specimen, gave rise to his species Perca marginata, which, as all 

 the other characters also are those of young Arripis truttaceus, I 

 have proposed should likewise be considered a synonym of the 

 present species ; thus reducing five supposed species of Victorian 

 fish to one. 



Nearly all the cases of fish-poisoning in Victoria are referable to 

 this species. Some persons are under the impression that the bad 

 consequences are due to incipient decomposition ; but I am certain 

 that this is not always the case, as I have known several instances 

 in which the effects were strongly marked after eating perfectly 

 fresh examples, caught only an hour or so before cooking. It is 

 curious that it is only at certain times and to certain people that 

 this fish is more or less poisonous, while certainly good for food 

 under other circumstances not yet understood. I have known three 

 out of five people made seriously ill from eating at breakfast newly 

 caught fish from one basket, and the two others felt no inconve- 

 nience whatever. The symptoms are, generally a few hours after 

 eating, an extraordinary redness or flush of the skin, particularly 

 of the face, often followed by an irruption, which soon passes away, 

 with great derangement of the digestive organs, severe headache, 

 vomiting, &c. Some cases of death have been reported, but, gene- 

 rally, the bad symptoms pass away in a few hours or days.* 



The flesh has often a dull pinkish tinge, which may be one of 

 the reasons for the popular application of the names " salmon " and 

 u salmon trout " to this fish, not resembling the true salmon in any 

 important respect. 



The curvature of the back is rather greater than that of the 

 abdomen in most specimens, especially of the younger ages. The 

 dorsal and anal fins can be lowered into a groove at their bases. 

 The swimming bladder is large, and of a delicate membranous 

 texture. The pyloric appendages, which are counted as 17 to 50 

 by Dr. Giinther, I find to be as many as 160 in several specimens. 



* Dr. Youl, the City Coroner for many years, informs me that although he has seen many 

 of these cases of fish-poisoning, the deaths reported were found by the jury to be due to other 

 causes. 



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