526 



THE OCEAN WORLD. 



The sturgeons (Acipenser) are among the largest fishes known. On 

 ihis account, as well as from their exterior conformation, they approach 

 the Squalidse. Their muscles, however, are less firmly knit, their 

 flesh more delicate, and their muscular strength consequently infinitely 

 smaller. Neither is their mouth armed with so many rows of teeth. 

 Moreover, they are less voracious, and their habits are not at all 

 ferocious. 



The sturgeons are sea-fishes which periodically ascend the larger 

 rivers. Several species are known in Europe. They abound in the 

 Black Sea and Sea of Azof, but they are chiefly known as frequenting 

 the Yolga and the Danube. The enormous consumption of caviare 

 in Russia leads to a deadly pursuit of the common sturgeon in all the 

 great European rivers, and this species is in a fair way of disappearing 

 altogether. 



The Common Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio (Fig. 356), abounds in the 



Fig. 356. The Common Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio). 



North Sea and the Mediterranean, and occasionally it appears in the 

 Thames, the Khirie, the Seine, the Loire, and the Gironde. It is 

 usually about two yards to seven feet long, but has been known to 

 attain the length of ten or twelve feet. Its general colour is yellow, 



