Mr. Yarrell has recently shown that the sprat is not the young of the
herring and pilchard, as has been generally supposed. One of the most
material differences is, that the vertebrae in the sprat are forty-eight
in number, while in the herring there are fifty-six. The same gentleman
has also proved that _white bait_ are not the young of the shad, or
mother of herrings; but that they are a well-marked and distinct
species.
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