HILL— —POISONOUS PISHES, 
2i r 
*5 with such occurrences, and who are worthy of credit.”— 
(C. &Y. Hist. Natur. des Poissons, vol. iii., liv. iii., ch. xxxi.) 
The very young fish, six inches long, are without teeth in 
the lower jaw. M. Poey, who has published a highly em- 
bellished work on the Natural History of Cuba, in which 
especial attention is devoted to the ichthyology of its seas, 
says that : “ the means of recognising baracouta that are 
in a condition to produce mischief (etat mal-faisant) is that 
the root of tlieir teeth will b e found of a blackened colour ; and 
that, wanting this mark, the fish may be eaten without fear.” 
— (0. & Y. vol. iii.) I can say for this test, that seeing one 
day a fine-looking baracouta in a tray for sale, nearly, if 
not quite, three feet in length, and apparently well condi- 
tioned, I examined the teeth, and finding them faintly 
purple at the root; I remarked that the fine look of the fish 
would induce purchasers without doubt, but we must be 
prepared to hear of injurious consequences to those who 
should eat of it ; and it happened next morning that com- 
plaint was common in the town (Spanish-Town) that many 
had suffered the well-known sickness from eating poisonous 
baracouta. 
I should have added to the extract from the manuscript 
ofM. Plee, “that,” he says, “it is a remarkable fact that 
the baracouta, being salted, causes no injury.” He adds 
that “ at Santa Cruz, it is the usage never to eat the fish 
till the next day, and then not till after salting it ;” and 
then remarks : “ we may ask the question, whether salt 
should not be esteemed an antidote for baracouta-poison.” 
We must accept this practice in Santa Cruz as having the 
warranty of experience in the average condition of fish sold 
in the market, but there are states in which baracouta may- 
