THE STURGEON. 75 



Devoid of spirit Fecundity. 



dies ; when the men draw up the line and take 

 htm. Sometimes, when sturgeons are seen to 

 lie at the bottom of the still water near the ca- 

 taracts, they are struck with a spear without a 

 rope, their place being marked, on their rising, 

 by the appearance of the shaft above the water. 



Sturgeons annually ascend our rivers, in the 

 summer, particularly those of the Eden and Esk, 

 but in no great numbers. It is so spiritless a fish 

 thai, when caught by accident, as it sometimes 

 is, in the salmon nets, it scarcely makes any re- 

 sistance, but is drawn out of the water appa- 

 rently lifeless. One of the largest ever caught 

 in our rivers which weighed four hundred and 

 sixty pounds was taken in the Esk, about thirty 

 years ago. In 1758 one was taken in Italy, 

 which weighed five hundred and fifty pounds, 

 and was presented by the Duke Carpenetto to 

 the Pope. Pontoppidan asserts, that in Norway 

 the head of one only sometinies furnishes a ton 

 of oil, and that some have been caught there 

 weighing one thousand pounds. 



The fecundity of these fish is exceedingly 

 great. Catesby says, that the females frequently 

 contain a bushel of spawn each ; and Leeuwen- 

 hoek found in the roe of one of them no fewer 

 than 150,000,000,000 eggs. The flesh is well 

 ' known to be extremely delicious, greatly resem- 

 bling veal; and it was so much valued, in the 

 time of the Emperor Severus, that it was brought 

 to table by servants with coronets on their heads. 



