[5] CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF FISH PRODUCTS. 1023 



lions of fat and albumen in the flesh of the salmon, salmon trout, 

 sturgeon, and sterlet with the corresponding figures for the pike-perch, 

 pike, perch, cod, etc., on the other. Among the cheap fishes only one 

 {(resents an exception, namely, the sprat. Its flesh has precisely the 

 same composition as that of the sturgeon and sterlet, it will be noticed 

 that, of all fresh fish-products, fresh (granulated) caviare or roe of stur- 

 geon contains the greatest proportion of nutritious matter. 



(:>) As regards digestibility, certain kindred species of fish appear to 

 present a remarkable diversity; for instance, salmon and salmon-trout. 

 The flesh of salmon is much fatter than that of "siomga?* which, how- 

 ever, contains more albuminous matter; and compared with other fishes 

 it has much soluble albumeu, as far as could be judged from the size of 

 the coagulated albumen without weighing it. Hence, a weak stomach 

 will stand salmon-trout more readily than salmon. 



(4) Some fish-products used as food apparently contain scarcely any 

 nutritive matter; for instance, ^maziga? which is almost exclusively 

 composed of water and gelatin-forming substances. The liver of the 

 eel-pout contains mainly fat (nearly 45 per ceut.), with a small quantity 

 of albuminous matter. 



(."») The investigation concerning the proportions of phosphoric acid 

 and sesquioxide of iron contained in the flesh of fish did not result iu 

 any definite indications of particular interest, excepting, perhaps, the 

 fact that granulated caviare is distinguished by a large proportion of 

 phosphoric acid. The high figures resulting in the case of (tried smelt 

 are due to the circumstance that the whole fish, with its bones, was sub- 

 jected to analysis, and that the ashes were not free of extraneous mat- 

 ter adhering to the smelt from the drying process. 



I restrict myself to the present few remarks and the incomplete 

 grouping together of figures, leaving it to the reader to evolve from the 

 tables those more minute indications and results that may be of inter- 

 est to him. 



II. — IMPORTANCE OF FISH AS A FOOD-SUPrLY. 



It is well known that in general our waters are comparatively rich in 

 fish, and that a very large quantity of fish is caught there every year. 

 Iu a recently published pamphlet by O. A. Grimm,f the amount of fresh 

 fish caught every year in Eussia is estimated at 40,000,000 puds.! 

 Whoever will take the trouble to examine closely the statistical data 

 presented in this work will find that such data are very incomplete, 

 aud that this figure of 40,000,000 puds is far below the actual number. 



But even this incomplete estimate will allow us to deduce some very 

 instructive conclusions concerning the importance of fish as food in our 



[*It would seem as if this ought to be "salmon-trout" and not " siomga."'] 



t Fishing and Hunting in Russian Waters. (International Fisheries Exhibition.) 

 St. Petersburg, 1883. (English.) 



I I pud = 40 Russian pounds = about 36 English pounds. 



