CHAPTER VII. 



THE HERRING FAMILY — CLUPEID^. 



Remarks on the Herring Family, from the " Iconographio Encyclo- 

 paedia." — Their abundance in the waters of the United States. — Great 

 numbers of them taken in the Potomac. — Herring-fishing with the 

 artificial fly. 



The Shad. Alosa proBstatilis. — Its delicacy and value as food. — Mi- 

 gratory habits. — Shad taken with the minnow. — Shad-roe as bait. 



Although this family of fishes is of little interest to the 

 angler, as far as sporting qualities are concerned, its import- 

 ance in an economic and commercial point of view is so great, 

 that I am induced to copy at length an interesting article 

 from the " Iconographic Encyclopaedia of Science, Literature, 

 and Art," a work which has been translated from the German, 

 and edited by our countryman. Professor Spencer F. Baird, 

 of the Smithsonian Institute, and published by the Messrs. 

 Appleton, of New York. 



" Clupeid^. The fishes of this family exhibit considerable 

 analogies to the Sahnonoids, differing, however, in the absence 

 of an adipose dorsal. Both maxillaries and intermaxillaries 

 are employed in forming the margin of the upper jaw, instead 

 of the usual introduction of the latter alone. The body is 

 well scaled, the scales sometimes very large. Bones of the 

 mouth variously provided with teeth, these occurring some- 

 times on the pectinated tongue. 



" The fishes of this family are among the most useful and 

 indispensable to man. It includes the Anchovy, the Sardine, 



(165) 



