130 FISH CULTUEE. 



of the two. Shad may be taken both by the bait and 

 with the fly. The shad may be also considered as 

 rather more of a salt than a fresh-water fish ; and as 

 in the case of the salmon, it is driven from the 

 Thames by the sewage. The higher it ascends a 

 river the better its flavour and condition becomes ; 

 and, as it is a valuable and prolific fish, it should not 

 be neglected in any scheme for improving our fresh- 

 water fisheries. No doubt the Allice s^ad could be 

 introduced, by artificial breeding, to other of our 

 rivers, where it would be highly acceptable. 



The Sturgeon occasionally enters our rivers, but it 

 is such a partial visitor that little is known about it 

 in connexion with them. The flesh is said to be 

 excellent, resembling veal. The great fisheries for 

 sturgeon are in the Caspian Sea and the rivers that 

 enter it, more particularly the Volga, in the Danube, 

 and the Baltic. It is possible that, by the transport 

 of ova, we might much increase the numbers of this 

 valuable fish in our waters, and .induce it to become 

 a more regular visitant to the larger rivers.^ The 



1 The French have included the sturgeon and the sterlet in the 

 list of fish, to be acclimatized, but the difficulties and expense of 

 carrying out the operation has hitherto deterred even them. I wrote 

 to Mons. Coume, the superintendent at Huningue, who was here in 

 1862 ^on a mission, for information as to the acclimatization of 

 sturgeon, but he could not give me any. 



