HOW TO RECORD SIZES OF STURGEONS. 255 



of mine, a distinguisliecl lawyer, informs me that by the 

 law of England a stm-geon is a royal fish, and should 

 be handed over to her Majesty. By an unrepealed Act 

 of Edward II. it is enacted that "the king shall have 

 the wreck of the sea throughout the realm, whales, and 

 great sturgeon," taken in the sea or elsewhere in the 

 realm^ except in certain places privileged by the king. 



The flesh of the sturgeon differs much both in colour 

 and taste. It is said that a good cook can obtain beef 

 or mutton, pork or poultry out of a sturgeon ; in other 

 words, fish, flesh, and fowl. 



Sturgeons live a long time out of the water. I have 

 more than once seen them quite alive, flapping about in 

 the gutter in the street opposite the shop of my friend 

 Mr. Davies, Gloucester ; these fish having generally 

 been caught in the salmon nets close by in the Severn. 

 Sturgeons being so easy to transport, and being an 

 interesting fish in an aquarium, are frequently seen in 

 those establishments. 



The first captive sturgeon that I know of was a fish 

 presented by Mr. Charles, of Grosvenor Place, on July 

 26, 1863, to the Zoological Gardens. He then measured 

 about 3ft. He lived in the Gardens till June, 1870, 

 seven years. When he died he weighed 141bs. and 

 measured 4ft. 2in. This fish is now in my museum. 

 I w^ould advise my readers never to attempt to have a 

 sturgeon stuffed. Stuffed sturgeons are hideous mon- 

 strosities. 



If a record is required of the sturgeon, mark out his 

 dimensions on a piece of board, then cut out his shape 

 and have the board painted to life. If 2)roperly done, 

 the sturgeons thus represented make handsome orna- 

 ments for entrance halls to country houses. 



In fishmongers' shops all over the country may be 



