THE FRENCH SARDINE INDUSTRY. 



543 



by nearly all authorities. The pilchard, as is well known, is one of the 

 most important fishes of the southern coast of England, being especially 

 abundant in Cornwall. Young pilchards or '^sardines' are found on the 

 Cornish coast, but arc apparently not so numerous as in France and are 

 in little demand, as canning is very limited in extent; on the other 

 hand, large sardines or pilchards are caught on the French coast, but 

 are much less abundant and less important than the small fish. 



In allusion to the small sardine being caught almost wholly by 

 means of bait consisting of fish roe (rogue), the French call it sardine 

 de rogue, in contradistinction to the large fish which is taken without 

 bait by-means of drift nets, and hence called sardine de derive. Modern 

 French Avriters on the sardine fishery seem averse to acknowledging 

 the specific identity of the sardine and the pilchard; some even fail 

 to explain or suggest the relation between the large and small fishes of 

 the west coast of France. 



The pilchard is a well-marked species, easily distinguished by prom- 

 inent radiating lines on the operculum and by large scales, as well as 

 by other features. The usual length is eight or nine inches; the 

 length of the largest recorded specimen was fourteen inches (taken in 

 Cornwall). The sardine of the French coast is a handsome little fish, 

 whose beauty is not entirely lost in canning. In the water the back is 

 of a greenish color, but out of the water the upper parts are rich dark 

 bluish, contrasting strongly with the silver and white of the sides and 

 abdomen. The scales are very easily detached, but their loss does not 

 detract seriously from the appearance of the fish, when either fresh 

 or canned, as the skin is ; ather thick and has a brilliant uniform sil- 

 very color. 



Pilchard or Sardine {Clupea pilchardus.) 



The range of the sardine extends from Sweden to the Madeira 

 Islands. The southern coast of England, the Atlantic coast of France, 

 and the Mediterranean Sea are the chief centers of abundance. 



On the coast of Brittany the sardine de rogue is found about nine 

 months of the year, being absent from the inshore waters most of the 

 winter. When the fishing season opens, the fish are reported first at 

 Arcachon and other southern points on the west coast, and gradually 

 reach the districts toward the north. During the winter, however, the 



