264 ANCHOVY. 



table, and nutritious food. So immensely numerous 

 are these fish on some coasts, that as many have been 

 caught at a single haul of a large net, as would fill 

 nearly forty barrels. On several parts of the coasts of 

 Holland and France, the fishery for Sprats is nearly as 

 important as that for herrings. From the Mediter- 

 ranean, but chiefly from the island of Sardinia, these 

 fish are exported in barrels, to almost all parts of the 

 world ; and they are considered not much inferior to the 

 anchovy. Sprats usually enter the river Thames towards 

 the latter end of October, and leave it about the month 

 of March. 



There seems considerable doubt whether the Sprat is 

 or is not the herring in its young state. It is seldom j 

 more than four or five inches in length. The dorsal j 

 fin is situated at a greater distance from the nose than j 

 that of the herring ; and the belly is strongly serrated, 1 

 or appears rough to the finger when passed gently! 

 along it. 



Anchovy. In a pickled state, few fish are better known j 

 than these. They are, however, seldom caught in this! 

 country. The principal fishery for them is at Gorgona, j 

 a small island west of Leghorn. lake the herrings and j 

 sprats, the Anchovies leave the depths of the open seaj 

 in order to frequent the shallow parts of the coast, forjj 

 the purpose of depositing there their spawn. This! 

 usually takes place betwixt the months of December andj; 

 March, and it is during this season that they are princi- 

 pally caught. 



These fish are usually five or six inches in lengthJ; 

 They are proportionally thicker in the body than the 

 herring. The under jaw is much shorter than the upper 

 one. The dorsal fin is transparent, and consists of twelve 



I 



