210 ANIMAL FOOD RESOURCES OF DIFFERENT NATIONS. 



Sweden as a substitute for other eggs in their domestic 

 economy. 



This subject of the eggs of fish is one that is as yet' 

 but imperfectly understood, although the late Mr. Frank 

 Buckland, by his investigations, has thrown much light 

 upon many disputed points, and accumulated a good 

 deal of valuable information in his " Report on the Sea 

 Fisheries of England and Wales," 1879, p. 240. 



Cod-roe is sent off in tins to Australia and India in a 

 salted state. It is sold in London in a dried form, smoked 

 and thus darkly coloured. It is a delicious dish when 

 partly salted, parboiled, and then fried. Mr. Frank Buck- 

 land states, that in 1868 he examined a cod-roe weighing 

 no less than 7f lbs. ; they often weigh five pounds. By 

 careful examination he found the average was 140 eggs 

 to the grain. This gives 67,200 eggs to the ounce, so 

 that in the whole mass of this one cod-roe, allowing 

 three-quarters of a pound for skin, membrane, &c., there 

 was no less than 7,526,400 eggs. 



Herrings' eggs in North America are used for human 

 food. In the spring of the year myriads of herrings, 

 closely allied to our own species, arrive in shore to spawn. 

 The Indian men, women and children scoop up the spawn 

 in large quantities, and use it as food. Herrings' eggs, 

 are, about the size of, and look very much like sago. 

 Each egg has, like that of the salmon, its own oil vesicle. 

 The roe of the ling is said to be better eating than that 

 of the cod. The eggs of a species of herring (Alausa 

 macrurus) are eaten by the Chinese. 



The largest use of fish spawn is for bait on the French 

 coasts in the sardine and anchovy fisheries, and pre- 

 served for food in the form of caviare and dried roes, 

 &c. The export of cod-roe for fish bait from Norway 

 averages 40,000 barrels annually. 



Oviparous animals, it is well known, are the most 

 prolific, and of these fish excel all others. A small cod- 

 fish will produce two millions of eggs, and it is said that 

 a single pair of herrings, if aUowed to reproduce undis- 

 turbed, and multiply for twenty years, would not only 



