EconomicaL Breaxrast Deticacy. 325 
in America it is double that weight. The Alosa finta visits 
some of the waters in France and Spain, and it is but recent- 
ly that it has been duly classified in France. The superiority 
of American shad in both size and quality over those of Eu- 
rope is probably caused by the purity of our rivers, and the 
greater amount of the kinds of food relished by this tooth- 
less spring delicacy of the breakfast-table. It feeds on ani- 
malcule, and is exclusively caught with nets. 
The shad season is comparatively short, but the principal 
Northern markets are supplied with them from Southern riv- 
ers in March, and sometimes as carly as February. They do 
not enter the rivers of New York and Connecticut before the 
early part of April; and one of the most peculiar features in 
this, family of fishes was discovered by Seth Green, while 
hatching them by artificial means at Holyoke, on the Connec- 
ticut River, where he hatched nearly one hundred millions 
of shad in less than six weeks. From the time when he strip- 
ped the shad, and the ova and milt settled in the hatching- 
boxes, not more than thirty-six hours elapsed before nineteen 
twenticths of the eggs hatched, and the remainder within 
twelve hours later. 
THE SHAD FISHERIES. 
Sixty days include the shad season in New York Bay and the Hud- 
son River, during which time the usual catch is 1,100,000 fish, 
averaging each 25 cts. as price, OF... cece se cseeeeee 275,000 
The catch in Delaware about 750,000, 25 ct 187,500 
os Connecticut, 400,000, 30 cts. . 120,000 
us Kennebec, 140,000, 15 cts. ... 22,500 
me Penobscot, 20,000, 20 cts 4,000 
# North Carolina, 500,000, 40 cts. ....... 200,000 
“ Potomac and Chesapeake, 300,000, 20 cts 60,000 
se Norfolk and vicinity, 200,000, 30 cts....... 60,000 
$949,000 
Although the shad of Southern waters are inferior to those 
of the Northern, yet, as the earliest in market, they command 
the price of a rarity. The foregoing wholesale prices are 
copied from the books of the most extensive dealers in Ful- 
ton Market, New York. 
