Sixth Annual Meeting. 91 



magnificent skate hanging from the hooks at Mr. Blackford's 

 establishment in Fulton Market, and people look at it as a 

 curiosity. The idea of eating it never enters their mind. And 

 pray, why is it not eaten ? The very stupid answer is given, 

 " Because it looks so funny." " See its long tail and its ugly face." 

 Funny ! Some of you have undoubtedly seen in the Aquarium 

 below these skates flying, as it were, like birds, with undulating 

 swoops of their wings, through the water. Is there anything 

 ugly about them, then ? Compare a skate with a lobster — is there 

 much difference as to looks ? But in all these things handsome 

 is that handsome does. Apart, then, from the appearance of the 

 fish, did any of you ever eat a fillet of skate ? Of course I do 

 not think you could do much with the tail, but I assure you, 

 that when properly cooked, a fillet of skate is about the most 

 delicate fish-morsel you can eat. 



Here is, then, the best of food, which we despise. Our fisher- 

 men catch them, and with an imprecation throw them back again 

 into the water. And why ? Because there is a stupid prejudice 

 against them. But somehow or other you do eat them and you 

 enjoy them, when you know nothing at all about them. There 

 is more than one first-class restaurant in New York where a 

 skilful French cook prepares skate with skill, and you eat it 

 under the name of turbot, and you think it delicious. 



Now there is the sea-robin — the Prionotus Carolinus. Catch 

 anybody eating that ! And why ? Because he is mottled red and 

 black, and has large pectoral fins like wings. Some two years 

 ago I was fishing off Sandy Hook in a yacht, with a delettanti 

 crew ; that is to say, they were very particular as to what they 

 eat. A chowder was a sine qua /ion, but no blue fish would rise ; 

 but we caught sea-robbins in quantity. Some one suggested 

 converting the sea-robbins into chowder, which was done in 

 secret, and a better fish for chowder purposes never was eaten. 



