of the Lesser Weever-fish. 



163 



flicted by the spine attached to the gill-covers, during my at- 

 tempt to seize the fish. A peculiar stinging pain occurred a 

 few seconds after the wound, and this gradually increased du- 

 ring a period of about fifteen minutes. The pain had now be- 

 come most intolerable, extending along the back of the thumb 

 towards the wrist ; it was of a burning character, resembling 

 the pain produced by the sting of a wasp, but much more in- 

 tense. The thumb now began to swell, and exhibited an in- 

 flammatory blush, extending upwards to the wrist. The pain 

 was now distinctly throbbing and very excruciating. In this 

 state it continued for about an hour, when the pain began 

 somewhat to subside, the swelling and redness still continuing. 

 In about an hour and a half the pain was nearly gone. Next 

 morning the swelling of the thumb had but slightly diminished, 

 and was in some degree diffused over the back of the hand ; 

 the thumb continued red and hot, and painful on pressure 

 over the metacarpal bone. In a few days the swelling had 

 completely subsided, but the pain on pressure continued for 

 more than a week. No treatment was adopted. 



It is here to be remarked, that the wound, of which the 

 above phaenomena were the result, was inflicted by the spine 

 of the gill-cover, and not by those belonging to the dorsal fin. 

 Whether, indeed, these latter spines possess any poisonous 

 properties, I have not as yet been able decidedly to determine, 

 though their threatening aspect when erected, and black mem- 

 brane, present an appearance so formidable, as at once to lead 

 an inexperienced observer to refer to them any stinging power 

 which the little animal may be supposed to possess. 



Though I have had no opportunity of making further per- 

 sonal observations on the effects of wounds inflicted by the 

 Weever, facts which fully bear out the conclusions to which 

 my own experience had enabled me to come, have been re- 

 lated to me by witnesses, in whom I can place all possible 

 reliance. A friend informed me that last autumn he saw a 

 woman stung in the hand by one of these fishes ; the poor 

 woman immediately uttered loud cries and seemed to suffer 

 great agony, while in an incredibly short time after the wound 

 the hand had become enormously swollen, and exhibited con- 

 siderable inflammatory redness. No observations were made 

 on the progress of the case. 



The spines of the opercula will be found on examination to 

 be deeply grooved along the edges (a, a, a', a'), each groove 

 terminating at the base of the spine in a conical cavity (b, U) 

 excavated in the posterior edge of the bony part of the oper- 

 culum. In the sides of these excavations the edges of the 

 grooves lose themselves, so that there is a perfect continuity 

 between each groove and the corresponding cavity. 



m 2 



