THE HERRING TRIBE 2865 



from sixty to eighty on the part mentioned. Both the shads are considerably larger 

 than the herring. Whereas in both the herring and the sprat the opercular bone is 

 smooth, in the pilchard or sardine (C. pilchardus) this part is marked by ridges 

 radiating toward the subopercular. This species is abundant in the English Chan- 

 nel, the seas of Spain and Portugal, and the Mediterranean; Vigo bay being noted 

 for its sardine fishery. 



The following account of the sardine fishery is taken from the Asian news- 

 paper: " Sardines are migratory in their habits, and the exact locale of their winter 

 quarters, despite frequent research on the point, remains a mystery. In ordinary 

 years it is the custom for the fish to make their first appearance on the coast of 

 Africa about the end of March, then passing northward in large shoals, they follow 

 the coast of Portugal, crossing the Bay of Biscay, till they strike the coasts of 

 Vendee in the month of April or May. Before daybreak the fishing boats leave 

 port to search for the shoals of sardines; indeed, many leave in the evening and 

 anchor at sea. When a peculiar bubbling of the water reveals the fish, the nets are 

 immediately thrown. Each net is from nine hundred to one thousand yards in 

 length, about three yards in width, and black in color. On the upper part of the 

 net are corkfloats, and on the lower part leaden sinkers to keep the net in an 

 upright position. % The oarsmen, generally two in number, row always either 

 against the wind or the tide. One man casts the net as the boat advances, while 

 another throws the roque into the water. This bait is an important feature of the 

 sardine catch, as it is expensive, and fishermen often lose considerable quantities of 

 it. It is made of the roe of codfish or mackerel mixed with clay, and costs from 

 seven to seventeen dollars a barrel, and it is thrown into the water in small 

 balls, which slowly dissolve and sink. At nightfall the boats return to port, 

 where they sell their fish to the canners at prices varying according to the 

 abundance of the catch and the size and freshness of the fish. Sales are made by 

 the 'thousand,' but this term does not always indicate exactly a thousand sardines. 

 For example, at Belle Isle one thousand two hundred and forty fish are supposed to 

 make a thousand. Factories for preserving sardines are located at all the ports, for 

 the fish spoil easily and cannot bear transportation. The fishermen convey the 

 sardines to the factories in baskets. The process of canning is as follows: The 

 sardines are spread on boards and salted, and the heads removed. They are then 

 thrown into brine, where they remain half an hour. They are next washed in clean 

 water and dried on screens. This work is done almost entirely by the wives and 

 children of the fishermen, their united wages during the season enabling the family 

 to subsist during the following winter. After the fish have been thoroughly dried 

 they are cooked by dipping them for a few minutes in oil heated to 212 F. They 

 are again drained and handed over to workmen, who pack them in small tin boxes, 

 which are filled with pure olive oil and then soldered. The oil used is imported 

 from the province of Bari, Italy. The boxes are next thrown into hot water, where 

 they remain for two or three hours, according to the size of the boxes. When 

 withdrawn, the boxes are first cooled, then rubbed with sawdust to cleanse and 

 polish them, and packed in wooden cases of one hundred boxes for export; during 

 their immersion in the boiling water oil will escape from all boxes not properly 

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