157 
COMMON STURGEON. 
Siurio, 
“ ar'penser, silurus, 
ills Sturcjem, 
Acipenser siurio, 
ti tt 
K M 
« l< 
t( (t 
Acipensere Esturgeon, 
JoNSTON; pi, 23, figs. 8, 9, 10. 
“Willoughby; p. 929, tab. p. 7. The name 
of Silv/ms had been applied to this fish 
by previous authors, who from ignorance 
had confounded it with the Sheat-fish, 
Silurus gliinis. 
Linnj£us and Cuviee. Bloch, pi. 88. 
Donovan, pi. 65. Fleming; Br. An., p. 173. 
Gray; Cat. Br. Museum, p. 13. 
Jenyns; Manual, p. 493. 
Yakeell; Br. Fishes, vol. ii, p. 475 and 479; 
Second Supplement. 
Laceeede and Eisso. 
The Common Sturgeon is the only one of this family which 
wanders widely from the principal haunts of its race. It is 
even found in the colder parts of the northern ocean, and not 
a season passes in which several are not taken on the coasts of 
Europe and the British Islands; where they often exercise 
their instinctive quality of pushing their way through the 
course of the deeper rivers. It is the opinion of naturalists 
chat, as hi the case of the Salmon, this reciprocal change from 
salt-water to fresh is important to the health of the fish; and 
that it is not adopted for the piu-pose alone of depositing 
spawn appears from the fact that no instance has been detected 
of the shedding of roe in British rivers, 'w..'’-e, from their 
multitudes, they could scarcely have escaped discovery. A few 
examples have occurred where a fish has been obtained 
among us of small size; and an example in the possession of 
Mr. Yarrell measured only a foot in length. But I believe 
no record exists of the place whence this specimen was ob- 
tained, and it is not certain that the roe when shed is injured 
by being placed in salt-water, 
