157 



with broad rhomboidal scales, of a mother of pearl 

 colbur, marked with white ; the tail is forked, and 

 the body encircled obliquely from the shoulders to 

 the belly with a number of brownish lines. The fins 

 are armed with spiny rays, and the flesh is white, 

 firm, and of a good taste, particularly when fried. 

 It would probably be still better if it were prepared 

 like that of the tunny. 



The lisa (mugil Chilensis) in its form, scales, and 

 taste, is much like the common mullet, but is dis- 

 tinguished by the dorsal fin, which in the lisa is en- 

 tire. There are two species of this fish, the sea and 

 the river, neither of which exceed a foot in length ; 

 the first is a very good fish, but the latter is so ex- 

 quisite that it is preferred by many to the best of 

 trout. 



The king-fish (cyprinus regius) so called from the 

 excellence of its flavour, is nearly of the size of a 

 herring ; it is of a cylindrical form, covered with 

 golden scales upon the back, and with silver upon 

 the sides. It has a short blunt mouth without teeth, 

 yellow eyes, with purple irides and blue pupils ; its 

 fins are yellow and soft, and that of the back extends 

 from the head to the tail which is divided into two 

 parts. These fish are caught in such abundance, 

 that a hundred of them may be bought for a real. 



Although the fresh waters do not aflbrd as many 

 different species of fish as the sea, the number of in- 

 dividuals is much greater. The rivers, streams, 

 lakes, and even the small brooks, produce a surpris- 

 ing quantity, especially those beyond the 34th de- 

 gree of latitude. The kinds most in estimation are 



