THE STURGEON. 69 



insects, which by means of his long snout he is 

 able to unearth. 



These immense fishes are caught principally in 

 the large pound nets, also in seines, and sometimes 

 in gill nets set for smaller fish. In the latter, in at- 

 tempting to pass, they get tangled and roll them- 

 selves up so that they cannot escape, and frequently 

 break the nets badly. They are also caught by set 

 lines. As food, when properly prepared, they are 

 very good, and highly prized by many. They were 

 at one time so plentiful in the Hudson River, that 

 the flesh was familiarly known as " Albany beef," 

 because of the resemblance of the flesh to beef 

 rather than ftsh, and by reason of their being mar- 

 keted and shipped from the capital of New York 

 State in large quantities. Great numbers of them 

 are smoked after they have been pickled in brine, 

 and, prepared in this way, they are an excellent 

 relish. The sturgeon has large quantities of eggs, 

 and, when made into the Russian dish called 

 u caviare," is considered a great delicacy. From 

 the waste parts of the fish and the entrails, quite a 

 large quantity of oil is extracted, and from their 

 bladders isinglass is manufactured. 



One of the great enemies of the sturgeon, aside 

 from man, is the lamprey eel, which attaches itself 

 to the body of the fish and sucks its blood. After 

 relinquishing its hold, it leaves a raw sore, which 

 upon healing leaves a permanent good-sized scar 

 on the body. The fish cast their spawn principally 

 during the month of June. We have propagated 

 them artificially in the Hudson River, but not to 

 the extent desired, on account of the scarcity of 



