Dr Parnell endeavoured to state the specific characters by which the white bait may be distinguished from the shad, the herring, the sprat, and the pilchard.

In the white bait, the tongue and roof of the mouth are furnished with three or four rows of distinct teeth; these parts in the shad are destitute of teeth.

The dorsal fin of the herring is placed half way between the point of the upper jaw, and end of the long caudal rays; the same fin in the white bait is situated much nearer the tip of the tail than to the point of the upper jaw; the body is more compressed, of a lighter colour, and the belly is much rougher to the touch, under the pectorals, than is observed in the herring.