114 STURIONES. 



fathoms of water. The body is of an oval form, 

 of an oUve color, and smooth. It has a sharp 

 nose, a small, slender tail, armed with a long ser- 

 rated bone towards its root. Usually, on these 

 shores, it averages from one to two feet in length, 

 and is denominated the saw-tailed skate. 



ORDER III. — STURIONES. 



GEN. ACCIPENSER. 



The fishes of this genus, have the general form 

 of the sharks; but their body, remarks Mr Park, 

 is more or less covered by long prominences, in 

 longitudinal rows. Their eyes and nostrils are 

 on the side of the head, the dorsal fin behind the 

 ventrals, and the anal under it. Sturgeons ascend 

 the rivers from the northern seas, at certain sea- 

 sons, in vast numbers, and their fishery, therefore, 

 becomes an object of peculiar importance. 



Sturgeon, — Accipenser Sturio, is an anadro- 

 mous, subtle fish, solitary in its habits, voracious, 

 and when fully grown, of prodigious size and pow- 

 er. On this coast, the sturgeon is often seen, leap- 

 ing from the water, but is not often taken. 



