ERASILIAN GUAPERVA. 
found, which people should not eat, without 
having previously put a piece of silver under 
the tongue ; if this silver loses it's colour, and 
turns hlack, those who should taste such fish,' 
would find them fatal. The squadron of Ad- 
miral Boscawen," adds the Abhe, " sustained 
a considerable loss of men, at Rodrigues, for 
want of having had recourse to this precau- 
tion." This useful hint, suggested by the 
Abbe Rochon, is very similar to the expedient 
adopted by some English families, in dressing 
Muscles : in the stewpan, among the Muscles, 
they place a shilling, a spoon, or some other 
piece of silver ; which is said to turn black, if 
the Muscles are poisonous, but to retain it's na- 
tural colour when they mav be eaten with per- 
fect safety. 
In the deleterious quality of the Gua- 
perva, which is without scales, we possess 
a new proof of the wisdom of the Levitical 
piscatory restrictions. If it should be urged 
that, like the Eel, it has, possibly, scales vi- 
sible through the microscope ; we mav rerort^ 
that these cautionary laws were not promulgcd 
for the benefit of animals with *'a microscopic 
eye." 
