HILL — POISONOUS FISHES. 
211 
In the other fishes poison may be said to be only incidental 
or accidental ; but in this species of Clupea it is an inherent 
quality. The effects of the poison of this fish on the human 
frame are violent to a terrific degree — death occurring im- 
mediately in many cases and, in some recorded instances, 
even before the fish had been swallowed. 
Many have been the disquisitions, why fish should be at 
one time nutritious and at another injurious for food. It 
seems to be now held that some morbid change takes place 
in the system of the fish, under peculiar circumstances, and 
that under such change it becomes poisonous. 
No test being ascertained to determine whether a fish bo 
noxious or innoxious, the only sure course to be pursued is 
that of giving the offal of the suspicious fish to some domes- 
tic animal, such as a, duck, not likely to reject it, and judging 
by what ensues. 
The effects of fish-poison are extreme sickness at the 
stomach, gripings, cold sweats, cutaneous eruptions, cho- 
lera morbus, leaving behind a degree of paralysis. When 
the poison does not prove fatal, the patient is long in re- 
covering. Where symptoms of empoisonment come on 
after the contents of the stomach have been brought off by 
an emetic, recourse should be had to strong cordials, gin- 
ger tea, brandy with laudanum, and Cayenne pepper made 
into pills. 
We shall severally consider some of the West- Indian 
fishes reputed or known to be poisonous. 
SCORPJENA. 
I doubt if any of the Scorpsenas be really poisonous, in 
the sense of a fish detrimental as food. The Scorpsena is 
one of the Loricati — “ Acanthopterygiens a joues cuiras- 
