178 THE STURGEON. 



fish ouo;ht to be sent to the kino;, though how far 



O O ' O 



the sovereign's rights in the matter are actually 

 considered, seems to be somewhat doubtful. 

 It is said, however, that the sturgeon was ex- 

 clusively reserved for the table of the king in 

 the time of Henry I. 



In the Fraser and Columbia rivers, and in all 

 the streams of any magnitude from latitude 

 4619 / N. to Sitka, latitude 53 N., the sturgeon 

 is found abundantly; as also in Northern Asia, 

 where it forms an article of vast commercial 

 value, the well-known and much-prized caviare 

 being made from its roe, and that almost in- 

 dispensable household necessary, isinglass, from 

 its air-bladder. The long ligamentous cord, 

 traversing the entire length of the spine, con- 

 stitutes another delicacy, called vesiga, much 

 relished by the Russians. The flesh also is 

 eaten, cooked in various ways, and held in no 

 mean estimation. Turkey, Italy, Germany, and 

 Greece (especially the two latter) are great mar- 

 kets for caviare. 



Pliny speaks of the sturgeon as being in great 

 repute among the Greeks and Romans : ' the 

 cooked fish was decked with garlands, as were 

 the slaves who carried it to table ;' and altogether 

 it was an affair of great pomp and ceremony, when 

 a sturgeon was to be demolished. 



