Shad

A fish of the Herring family, but, unlike the herring, with a deep notch on the middle of the upper jaw, and without teeth on the tongue and the roof of the mouth. The Chinese shad is an esteemed food-fish. The European shad is little valued for food. The American is the choicest of food-fishes, and ranks highest among American fishes. It is twenty inches long, is bluish and silvery in color, and is found abun¬ dantly in the rivers of the Atlantic coast of the United States.