FISHES. 93 



barbels are somewhat like those of the horned pouts (Siluridse), whence the subordinal 

 name, Glanostomi, referred to above. The small transverse mouth is toothless, and can 

 be jjrotrud ed for the purpose of feeding. 



The genus Acipenser embraces the sturgeons, the largest fishes found in fresh water. 

 It is distinguished from the only other genus by having a flattened conical snout, a spi- 

 racle above each eye, and by having the five rows of bony plates distinct throughout. 

 Seven species of sturgeons are found in the waters of the United States. First to be 

 mentioned is the common sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, which is also found in the seas 

 and rivers of Europe. In the older works it is called A. oxyrrhynchus, but the differ- 

 ences between specimens from the two shores of the Atlantic are slight. On our coast 

 it ranges south to Florida. In color it is grayish brown above, silvery on the lower 

 part of the sides, and white beneath. In the European seas this species attains a length 

 of eighteen feet. Next in order comes the A. transmontMius of the Pacific coast 

 south to Monterey. It sometimes weighs six hundred pounds. In the Mississippi and 

 its tributaries, as well as in the great lakes, occurs the lake sturgeon, Acipetiser ncbi- 

 cuiiJa/s, a much smaller species than the two just mentioned. According to Gunther this 

 species is sometimes found on the coast of Europe, but as a rule it does not usually 

 descend to the sea. A large specimen will weigh one hundred pounds. 



All of these species, as well as those of Europe to be mentioned below, are used to 

 a varying extent as food, but the green sturgeon (A. medirostris) of the Pacific coast, 

 a large species, has the reputation of being poisonous. The sturgeons have mostly a 

 migratory habit like the salmon, ascending the rivers for the purposes of reproduction. 

 At times they are very numerous in the Hudson, and their reddish-colored flesh 

 is in a jocular way spoken of as ' Albany beef.' Still, the flesh of the common sturgeon 

 is not extensively used as food on the Atlantic coast. In the central region A. rubi- 

 cundus is used somewhat more, while the Pacific sturgeon, caught in the Sacramento 

 and Columbia rivers, is brought to market in considerable quantities. 



Of the European species, the sterlet (Acipenser riitheniis), the bielaga, huso, or 

 hausen {A. huso), the common sturgeon {A. sturio), and a fourth form, the osseter 

 {A. yaldenstmdtii), are the best known. Largest of these is the huso of the rivers 

 falling into the Black and Caspian seas, which sometimes reaches a length of twenty 

 or twenty-five feet, and a weight of nearly three thousand pounds. In the early 

 spring, when the ice is still in the rivers, the huso leaves the sea to ascend the streams. 

 Across the Volga and other streams the fishermen drive long stakes leading to a trap, 

 tlie whole resembling an eel weir on a large scale, except that the apex of the angle is 

 turned up stream. To warn themselves of the approach of the fish, the fishermen 

 suspend bobs in the water, the motion of which is of course an indication of their 

 presence. The sterlet is a much smaller species, only about three feet in length, but 

 it is very highly prized on account of the delicacy of its flesh. In Europe the 

 common sturgeon occurs only in the west, those found in the Thames being regarded 

 as a royal fish and reserved for the table of the sovereign. 



Not only is the flesh esteemed a delicacy by many, but from the roes (ovaries) the 

 celebrated caviare is prejDared. This can be made from the eggs of any species, but 

 that of the sterlet is the most highly esteemed, and is supplied to the table of the 

 Tzar. The roes are taken from the female fish, washed with vinegar, salted, and dried. 

 Tastes differ as to the palatability of this dish ; to some it is a great delicacy, while 

 others regard it in a greatly different esteem. Indeed, the word has passed into a 

 proverb, and through Hamlet, Shakespeare says, " 'T was caviare to the general." One 



