6 FISH ISINGLASS AND GLUE. 



of unpleasant odor. A low grade of Russian isinglass, also sold 

 under the above names, is manufactured from the peritoneum and 

 intestines of the fish. Russian isinglass is imported into the United 

 States in varying amounts from year to year. 



Iceland produces an excellent gi^ade of isinglass, which is obtained 

 from cod and ling sounds, only a little inferior to the Russian prod- 

 uct. Venezuela and Brazil export tongue sounds and lump and pipe 

 isinglass which are obtained from Siluridse and other less definitely 

 characterized fish. Tongue sounds are oblong, tapering, and pointed 

 at one end, of firm consistency, but otherwise poorer than the Russian 

 product. From Penang and Bombay are exported tongue sounds 

 and also purse sounds, so-called from their shapes and their fringed 

 edges. 



The value of the imports of sounds into the United States and 

 countries from whence imported, according to the census of 1908 

 (Fisheries of the United States, 1908, p. 292), are given in the fol- 

 lowing statement : 



Canada $62,30.1 



United Kingdom 22,721 



Venezuela 13, 907 



European Russia 6, 706 



British India $4, 113 



All otlier countries 3,863 



Total 113, 



The production of fish sounds in this country has fallen off in the 

 last few years, and the demand being good the value of the imports 

 has increased. Norwegian cod sounds have been imported at differ- 

 ent times. 



North American isinglass is derived from the sounds of hake, 

 cod, and squeteague, hake sounds being the principal source. A few 

 years ago over 100 tons of hake sounds were obtained annually on the 

 New England coast alone, but the production has fallen off consider- 

 ably in recent years. Large amounts are imported from Canada and 

 Newfoundland. 



Hake sounds from fish caught in deep waters off the coast of Nova 

 Scotia are large and of good quality. One ton of these fish yields 

 300 to 500 sounds, weighing from 40 to 50 pounds. Hake sounds 

 from shallow waters are smaller and of a lower grade; 1 ton yields 

 about 600 sounds, weighing approximately, 30 pounds. Hake sounds 

 are easily detached from the backbone in dressing the fish on the 

 fishing vessels, and then they are salted in barrels. Before salting 

 they may be scraped and washed but these operations are usually 

 omitted without much injury to the character of the isinglass manu- 

 factured from them. When delivered on shore, the sounds are slit 

 open and thoroughly washed and the black outer membrane is 

 scraped off. They are then dried in the air with precautions to 

 prevent access to moisture, since they readily putrefy. The average 

 hake sound yields about 85 per cent gelatin. 



