THE STURGEON AND SEVRUGA. 177 



isinglass, and fish-skins, which latter, in some 

 parts of Bussia arid Turkey, are made into a 

 sort of leather, or used, when prepared, instead 

 of window-glass. 



After the spring fishery of the great sturgeon 

 is over, that of the sevruga commences, and 

 lasts about a fortnight. This fish is very abun- 

 dant, and a single fishing -vessel, or vataga, 

 sometimes takes from fifteen to twenty thousand. 

 The total number taken in one season has been 

 calculated at 1,300,000, affording the value of 

 16,000 in isinglass, and 40,000 in caviar. 

 Of the common sturgeon, the number captured 

 amounts to 300,000, yielding in isinglass 

 6,500, and in caviar 10,000. 



Late in the autumn, and during the winter, 

 a second fishery of the great sturgeon is car- 

 ried on. Large holes are cut in the ice, for 

 the introduction of the apparatus of lines and 

 hooks, and the fish, when caught, are sent off 

 direct, in a frozen state, to Astracan, by means 

 of sledges. 



It has been calculated that the spring and 

 winter fisheries of the great sturgeon produce, 

 annually, 103,500 fish, which afford 30,000 

 pounds of isinglass, and 414,000 pounds of 

 caviar. 



The common sturgeon of our seas sometimes 



