414 THE FRKSII-WATKU FISIIKS OF EUROPE 



In earlier days the Sturgeon appears to have been much more common in 

 American rivers than now, and formerly as many as three hundred a d;iy 1m v- 

 been hooked out of some of the rivers of Virginia in May, June, and July. 



Acipenser latirostris, of Parnell, is a variety of the Common Sturgeon, 

 distinguished by the thickness as well as the breadth of the snout. The 

 specimens originally described were nearly eight feet long, and weighed ei^ht 

 stone. The back and sides are light grey inclining to olive, and the belly is 

 dirty white. Dr. Parnell remarks that it differs from the Common Sturgeon 

 in having the tip of the snout much broader than the mouth, in having the 

 barbels much nearer to the end of the snout than the mouth, and in the slight 

 elevation of the keel of the dorsal plates. According to Yarrell, there are 

 thirteen dorsal shields, and four between the dorsal and caudal fins. There 

 are thirty-two lateral shields and fifteen in each ventral row, with three or 

 four behind the ventral fins. 



Acipenser huso (LINNYEUS). 



This is the largest of all the Sturgeons. It is found in the Black Sea, the 

 Sea of Azov, and the Caspian Sea, and enters the rivers which drain into those 

 waters. It is much rarer in the Mediterranean, but is sometimes taken in the 



Fig. 202. ACIPENSER HVSO. 



rivers of Italy. In Russia it is known as the Belaga, and in the valley of the 

 Danube its popular name is Hansen, though the Hungarians also call it Vi:a. 

 Now it is rarely seen above Pressburg. 



It was formerly much more abundant, and attained a far larger size in the 

 Danube than it ever grows to at the present day ; but its great size tempted 

 capture. Fishes twenty-four feet long were common, and it was slaughtered 

 in Hungary in thousands. At the present day it varies from one hundred to 

 nine hundred pounds in weight, and occasionally reaches twelve to fifteen hun- 

 dred pounds. In Russia very heavy fishes are sometimes caught. Grimm 

 tells us of a Sturgeon taken in the river Ural in 1847, which weighed 

 J,600 pounds. One was caught at Saratov in 1869, which weighed 2,760 



