231. _The COMMON SALMON_ (Salmo salar, Fig. 68) _is a fish known by its
forked tail, the upper jaw being somewhat longer than the lower, and by
the extremity of the under jaw, in the male, being hooked and bent
upward._
_All the fish of the salmon tribe have their hindmost dorsal fin fleshy._
At an early season of the year salmon begin to leave their winter haunts in
the ocean, and to pass up the fresh water rivers, sometimes to vast
distances, to deposit their spawn. And it is in these peregrinations that
they are chiefly caught. The British rivers that are most celebrated for
salmon are the Tweed, the Tyne, the Trent, the Severn, and the Thames.
Sometimes they are taken in nets, sometimes in traps or engines, and
sometimes by harpoons. They have been known to ascend the rivers to the
distance of more than 200 miles.
Vast numbers of salmon are annually pickled at Berwick for the London
markets, and for sale on the Continent. These are packed in small tubs, and
are usually sold under the name of Newcastle salmon.
The season for catching salmon commences towards the end of the year, but
the principal capture is in the month of July; and instances have occurred
in which more than 1000 fish have been caught at one haul of a net. Fresh
salmon are frequently sent to London from the northern rivers packed in
ice. The Severn salmon are earlier in season than those of any other river
in England, though not so early as what are caught in some parts of
Scotland and Ireland. The Thames salmon are principally taken near
Isleworth, and are sold at a most extravagant rate in London. In Ireland
the most considerable salmon fishery is as Cranna, on the river Ban, about
a mile and a half from Coleraine. At a single haul of one of the nets,
about the year 1776, there were taken as many as 1356 fish; this
circumstance was so extraordinary as to be recorded in the town books of
Coleraine.
In the Severn, Trent, and some other northern rivers of England, no salmon
measuring less than eighteen inches from the eye to the middle of the tail
is allowed to be caught; nor any whatever betwixt the eighth of September
and the eleventh of November (except in the Ribble, where they may be
caught betwixt the first of January and fifteenth of September), under the
penalty of 5l. and forfeiture of the fish. And no salmon of less weight
than six pounds are permitted to be sent by fishmongers to their agents in
London, under a similar penalty.
When these fish, about the beginning of May, are five or six inches in
length, they are called _salmon smelts_, and, when they have attained the
weight of from about six to nine pounds, they have the name of _gilse_.
Salmon are a very general and favourite article of food. When eaten fresh,
they are tender, flaky, and nutritive; but are thought to be difficult of
digestion. The flesh of the salmon is of red colour, and the beauty of its
appearance is increased by soaking slices of it in fresh water before they
are cooked. Immediately after the salmon have deposited their spawn they
become so flabby and bad as to be unfit for food. Raw salmon is a favourite
dish with even the first nobility of Stockholm, insomuch that they seldom
give a great dinner in which this food is not presented on the table. It is
prepared by merely cutting the fish into slices, putting these into salt,
and, when salted, leaving them for three days in a wooden dish, with a
little water. In this state it is said to be very delicious eating.
The modes of curing salmon are various, but these are chiefly by _drying_,
_smoking_, _salting_, and _pickling_. Near the bay of Castries (in the
Strait of Saghalier) the Tartars tan the _skins_ of large salmon, and
convert them into a very supple kind of clothing.
232. In South Wales, and in the rivers of the north of England which fall
into the sea, a kind of salmon, called _SEWEN_ (_Salmo esiox_), is
frequently found. It is known by having nearly an even tail, and being
marked with ash-coloured spots. These salmon are chiefly caught from July
to September, and seldom weigh more than ten or twelve pounds. They are
much inferior to the common salmon in delicacy of flavour.
233. _SALMON TROUT, SEA TROUT, or BUDGE_ (Salmo trutta), _is a species of
salmon chiefly characterized by the tail being hollowed, by having seven
rays to the anal fin, black spots encircled with ash-colour on the head,
back, and sides; and the jaws of equal length._
_It inhabits the sea, and rivers adjacent to the sea; and sometimes
weighs eight or ten pounds, or more._
The flesh of the salmon trout is red and good, but not so highly flavoured
as that of the salmon; and it varies much, according to the quality of the
water in which the fish are taken. Salmon trout are caught chiefly with
nets; and the fishing for them generally commences about the beginning of
May, and continues till after Michaelmas.
In some of the northern countries of Europe, where these fish are very
numerous, they are cured by _salting_, _pickling_, and _smoking_; and in
these different states they are articles of some commercial importance. The
smoking of these and other fish is performed in a tub without bottom, which
is pierced at the top and round the sides with holes. This tub is raised on
three stones; and the fish being suspended within it, they are exposed, for
three days, to the smoke of burning oak-branches and juniper berries, which
are lighted beneath.
234. _The FRESH-WATER TROUT_ (Salmo trutta) _is a species of salmon
which has its tail somewhat hollowed, eleven rays to the anal fin, the
upper parts of the body and the sides marked with red spots encircled
with brown, and the lower jaw somewhat longer than the upper._
_These fish inhabit fresh-water rivers, streams, and lakes, but
particularly those of mountainous countries; and their weight is seldom
more than four or five pounds._
In clear and cold streams the fresh-water trout multiplies very fast, and
chiefly because such streams do not contain any voracious fish of greater
power than themselves. Such is the excellence of these fish that it has
frequently been considered desirable to keep them in ponds or preserves.
These should have the water clear and cold, a gravelly or sandy bottom, and
be constantly supplied by a stream. The ponds should, if possible, be
shaded with trees; and should have, at the bottom, roots of trees or large
stones, amongst which the fish may find shelter, and deposit their spawn.
They should also be supplied with gudgeons, loaches, roach, minnows, and
other small fish. To stock these ponds it is recommended to place in them
the spawn of the trout, and not the fish themselves, as the former will
bear carriage much better than the latter.
Trout are chiefly caught with lines. Their flesh is red, tender, and of
excellent flavour; and the colder and more pure the water is the better
they are. The best season for trout is from April to June: and, during the
winter, their flesh is white and ill-tasted. In many countries the nobility
reserve these fish for their own use, and the capture of them is forbidden
under very severe penalties.
So numerous are trout in some of the mountainous parts of the Continent,
that, having little or no sale for them, the inhabitants _salt_ and _dry_
them for their winter's food.
In certain lakes of the province of Galway, and other districts of Ireland,
there is a kind of trout called _Gillaroo trout_, which are remarkable for
the great thickness of their _stomachs_. These, from their resemblance to
the organs of digestion in birds, are sometimes called gizzards; and, in
the largest fish, they are equal in bulk to the gizzard of a turkey. The
trout themselves are bad eating; but the stomachs are much esteemed for
their fine flavour, and are in frequent request for the table.
235. _CHARR_ (Salmo alpinus?) _are a species of salmon which inhabit the
lakes of mountainous countries: there are three kinds or varieties of
them, called_ gilt charr, red charr, _and_ case charr. _Their bodies are
spotted; and those of the first are of a golden colour, of the second
full red, and of the case charr pale red. Their tails are forked. When
full grown these fish are about ten inches in length._
_They are found in Ullswater, Winandermere, and some other lakes in the
north of England, in a lake near Snowdon in North Wales, and in lakes of
several parts of the Continent._
There are no fish of the salmon tribe more esteemed for the table than
these. The _gilt charr_ are considered in highest perfection, and are
caught in greatest numbers, from the end of September until the end of
November, and the _case charr_ about the month of May. During the
summer-time all the kinds of charr sink to the bottoms of the lakes far out
of the reach of the fishermen. They are usually caught with nets called
breast-nets, which are about twenty-five fathoms long and five in depth.
Their flesh is of red colour, and their flavour peculiarly delicate. Great
numbers of charr are potted every year, and sent to London. But of the fish
which are sold under the name of potted charr many are trout; and, even in
the pots which contain charr, trout are frequently to be found. In the
river Petteril, which runs near Carlisle, there is a kind of trout which,
both in size and colour, are so like charr that they can scarcely be
distinguished from that fish.
236. _The SMELT, or SPARLING_ (Salmo eperlanus), _is a small fish of the
salmon tribe, known by its silvery and semi-transparent appearance, the
first dorsal fin being further from the head than the ventral fins, the
under jaw being longer than the upper and curved, and the tail being
forked._
_Its length seldom exceeds seven or eight inches._
_These fish abound on the shores of most of the countries of Europe; and,
during their spawning season, they ascend the rivers sometimes in immense
shoals._
About the month of November smelts begin to leave the deep water, and
approach the coasts, for the purpose of depositing their spawn in the
rivers. This they do in the ensuing months of March and April; and they are
caught, in vast abundance, in the Thames, during this time. When in
perfection, they are not only a delicious, but are considered as nutritious
fish, and easy of digestion. Their name is derived from their very singular
smell, and is nothing more than a contraction of "smell it." These fish are
sometimes split, salted, and dried; and sold under the name of _dried
sparlings_.
237. _UMBER, or GRAYLING_ (Salmo thymallus), _is a fish of the salmon
tribe, distinguished by having several longitudinal streaks upon its
body, the first dorsal fin nearer the head than the ventral fins, the
upper jaw longer than the lower one, the side line nearly straight, and
the tail forked._
_A fish of this species, which, weighed five pounds, was caught some
years ago in the river Severn._
_The umber inhabits clear and rapid streams of Europe and Siberia._
These fish are so much esteemed in some parts of the Continent, that they
are exclusively reserved for the tables of the nobility. They are fattest
in the autumn, but are best in season during the winter, particularly when
the weather is cold; and they cannot be dressed too soon after they are
caught. Many of the old medical writers strongly recommended umber as a
wholesome fish for sick persons: they also stated that an oil prepared from
its fat would obliterate freckles and other spots on the skin. By the
Laplanders the intestines are frequently employed as a substitute for
rennet, to coagulate the milk of the rein-deer, when used for the making of
cheese.
These fish are in great esteem by anglers on account of their vivacity, the
eagerness with which they rise at a bait, and their rapid motions in the
water. They lurk close all the winter, and begin to be very active in April
and May, about which time they deposit their spawn.
238. _The PIKE, or JACK_ (Esox lucius), _is a voracious fresh-water fish,
with large teeth, a compressed head and muzzle, the part of the head
betwixt the nape and the eyes elevated and rounded; and the dorsal, anal,
and caudal fins marked with black spots._
_These fish sometimes attain so large a size as to weigh upwards of
thirty pounds._
_They are found in deep rivers, and in lakes of nearly all parts of
Europe, in some of the northern districts of Persia, and in North
America._
Common as pike now are in our fresh-water rivers, it has been asserted that
they were originally introduced from the Continent in the reign of Henry
the Eighth. This, however, cannot be the fact, as they were known in
England long before that period. Mr. Pennant speaks of these fish being
formerly so rare in this country, that a pike, in the month of February,
was sold for double the price of a house-lamb. If caught in clear and
tolerably rapid waters, these fish, though bony and dry, are not bad
eating. In some parts of Germany they are salted, smoked, and barrelled for
exportation to other countries.
The modes of catching pike are very various, by nets, with lines, and
snares of different kinds. Their voracity is so great that they not only
eagerly seize a bait, but one pike has been known to choke itself by
swallowing another of its own species, which proved too large a morsel.
These fish are chiefly partial to still and shady waters, where the bottom
is of sand, clay, or chalk. They spawn in March or April. When in high
season, their colours are green spotted with yellow; but, when out of
season, the green changes to grey, and the yellow spots turn pale. The age
to which they live has not been ascertained, though there appears
sufficient evidence of their existing for more than a century. As to their
size, we are informed that, in the river Shannon, in Ireland, they have
been found of nearly seventy pounds in weight; and, in some of the
continental lakes, they are said to be more than eight feet long, and from
eighty to a hundred pounds in weight.
239. _The SEA-PIKE, or GAR-FISH_ (Esox belone, Fig. 69), _is a fish of
the pike tribe, of green colour on the upper part, serpentine shape, with
long and narrow jaws, the lower one considerably shorter than the upper.
The bones are of green colour when they have been exposed to strong
heat._
_These fish generally are about a foot and a half in length, and weigh
from one to three pounds. The late Sir William Hamilton, however,
mentioned one caught near Naples which weighed fourteen pounds, and was
sent to the King as a great curiosity._
_They are found in the ocean in nearly all parts of Europe._
The gar-fish begin to approach our coasts, in considerable shoals, about
the month of March, shortly after which they deposit their eggs in smooth
and shallow water. Their flavour is not much unlike that of mackrel, though
many persons have a great antipathy to them, in consequence of the green
colour of the bones.
240. _The WHITE, or COMMON MULLET_ (Mugil cephalus) _is a fish
distinguished by having the lower jaw angular upwards, several narrow and
dark-coloured stripes on each side of the body, a toothed process betwixt
the eye and the opening of the mouth, and the gill-covers angular behind
and covered with scales._
_The weight of these fish is four or five pounds and upward._
_They inhabit the seas of nearly all the southern parts of Europe, and
annually enter the mouths of almost all the great rivers._
Vast shoals of mullets are frequently observed, about the months of May,
June, and July, swimming, near the surface of the water, in harbours, and
in rivers adjacent to the sea. They are caught with nets, but are so
cunning, that, even when entirely surrounded, they will sometimes nearly
all escape, either by leaping over or by diving under the nets.
These fish are in considerable request for the table, and are in best
season about the month of August. Their flesh, however, is, in many
instances, woolly and bad; and the great quantity of oil which is found
beneath the skin renders them, to some persons, very unpleasant. In several
places on the coast of the Mediterranean mullets are dried and smoked for
exportation.
Of the roes of mullets is sometimes made the kind of caviar called
_botargue_ or _botargo_. For this purpose they are taken out and covered
with salt, for four or five hours. Afterwards they are gently pressed
between two boards or stones, to squeeze the water out of them. They are
then washed in a weak brine, and lastly exposed to the sun for twelve or
fifteen days to be dried. This substance is said to quicken a decayed
appetite, and to give a relish to wine. It is much in request, in Greece,
as food on the numerous fast-days of the Greek church.
241. _The HERRING_ (Clupæa harengus) _is a small fish distinguished by
its sharp and serrated belly, the body being without spots, the lower jaw
longer than the upper, and the dorsal fins so exactly situated above the
centre of gravity that, when taken up by it, the fish will hang in
equilibrio._
_These fish, which are in general from eight to ten inches in length, are
migratory, and found, at particular periods, in immense shoals, in nearly
all parts of the Northern Ocean._
So great is the supply of herrings, and such is the general esteem in which
they are held, that they have almost equal admission to the tables of the
poor and the rich. They have been known and admired from the remotest
periods of antiquity; but, as our ancestors were ignorant of the means by
which they could be preserved from corruption, they were not so profitable
to them as they are to us.
The herring fishery, in different parts of the world, affords occupation
and support to a great number of people. In Holland it has been calculated
that formerly more than 150,000 persons were employed in catching,
pickling, drying, and trading in herrings; and, on the different coasts of
our own country, many thousands of families are entirely supported by this
fishery. The principal of the British herring fisheries are off the coasts
of Scotland and Norfolk; and the implements that are used in catching the
fish are nets stretched in the water, one side of which is kept from
sinking by buoys fixed to them at proper distances, and the other hangs
down, by the weight of lead which is placed along its bottom. The herrings
are caught in the meshes of the nets, as they endeavour to pass through,
and, unable to liberate themselves, they continue there until the nets are
hauled in and they are taken out.
Herrings are in full roe about the month of June, and continue in
perfection until the commencement of winter, when they begin to deposit
their spawn.
The art of pickling these fish is said to have been first discovered
towards the end of the fourteenth century, by Guilliaume Beuchel, a native
of Brabant. The Emperor Charles the Fifth, about 150 years afterwards,
honoured this benefactor of the human race by visiting the place of his
interment, and eating a herring on his grave.
Yarmouth, in Norfolk, is the great and ancient mart of herrings in this
country. The season for catching them commences about Michaelmas, and lasts
during the whole month of October; and generally more than 60,000 barrels
are every year cured in the neighbourhood of that town. Some of these are
_pickled_, and others are dried. In the preparation of the latter (which
have the name of _red herrings_) the fish are soaked for twenty-four hours
in brine, and then taken out, strung by the head on little wooden spits,
and hung in a chimney formed to receive them. After this a fire of
brush-wood, which yields much smoke but no flame, is kindled beneath, and
they are suffered to remain until they are sufficiently dried, when they
are packed in barrels for exportation and sale.
It will afford some idea of the astonishing supply of these invaluable
fish, when it is stated that, about seventy years ago, near 400,000 barrels
of herrings were annually exported from different parts of the coast of
Norway; that, previously to the late war, about 300,000 barrels were
annually cured by the Dutch fishermen; and that a considerably greater
quantity than this is every year obtained on the coasts of Great Britain
and Ireland.
There is, in some countries, a considerable trade in the _oil_ that is
obtained from herrings during the process of curing them. The average
annual quantity of this oil exported from Sweden is about 60,000 barrels.
242. _The PILCHARD_ (Clupæa pilcardus) _is a fish of the herring tribe,
and so nearly resembling the common herring, that the best mode of
distinguishing the one from the other appears to be by the situation of
the dorsal fin. If the pilchard be held by this fin, the head will dip
downward; the herring held in similar manner continues in equilibrio._
_The length of the pilchard is from eight to about ten inches._
_These fish annually appear in vast shoals off the coast of Cornwall, and
some other south-western parts of England. Their utmost range seems to be
the Isle of Wight in the British, and Ilfracomb in the Bristol channel._
To the inhabitants of Devonshire and Cornwall the pilchard fishery is of as
much importance as that of herrings is to the people on the eastern and
northern coasts of Britain. Many hundred families are almost wholly
supported by it. The first appearance of the fish is generally about the
middle of July, and they usually continue until the latter end of October.
As soon as the pilchards are caught they are conveyed to a warehouse, where
they are covered with bay-salt, and suffered to lie for three weeks or a
month. After this they are washed in sea-water and dried. As soon as they
are dry the fish are closely pressed into barrels to extract the oily
particles from them, which drain through holes that are made in the bottom.
Thus prepared they become fit for use, and, when properly dressed, they are
considered preferable to herrings.
Pilchards are generally caught in nets. These are sometimes 200 fathoms in
length, and about eighteen fathoms deep. The approach of the shoals is
known by great numbers of sea-birds which accompany and prey upon them; and
the progress of the shoals is marked by persons who are stationed on the
cliffs to point them out to the fishermen, and who are called _huers_, from
their setting up a hue for this purpose.
The principal towns in the neighbourhood of which pilchards are caught are
Fowey, Falmouth, Penzance, and St. Ives; and the average annual quantity
that is sent to market is about 30,000 hogsheads.
243. _The SHAD_ (Clupæa alosa) _is a species of herring known by the
belly being strongly serrated and covered with large transverse scales,
the sides being marked with round black spots placed longitudinally, and
the under jaw sloping upward._
_These fish weigh from half a pound to four or five pounds and upwards._
_They are found on the shores of all the temperate and warm countries of
Europe, and, at certain seasons of the year, they ascend the rivers, to
considerable distances, in order to deposit their spawn._
In the Thames and Severn these fish are generally found in the months of
April, May, and June. Those that are caught in the Thames are coarse and
insipid; whilst such as are caught in the Severn, especially that part of
it which flows by Gloucester, are generally sold at a higher price than
salmon. Shad that are taken in the sea are thin and of bad flavour, and the
longer they continue in the rivers the fatter and more eatable they become.
They are generally caught in nets, but sometimes with lines having an
earth-worm for a bait. The London fishmongers are frequently supplied with
shads from the Severn. These are distinguished by the name of _allis_, or
_alose_, the French name for shad.
244. _The SPRAT_ (Clupæa sprattus) _is a very small fish of the herring
tribe, distinguished by its belly being strongly serrated, the dorsal fin
having seventeen rays, the anal fin nineteen, and the ventral fins each
six._
_It seldom exceeds the length of about five inches, and is generally much
smaller._
_These fish are caught on most of the British shores, and they ascend the
river Thames nearly as high as London Bridge, in the beginning of
November, and leave it in the month of March._
To the lower classes of inhabitants in London, during the winter, sprat a
afford a cheap and very acceptable supply of food. They are caught in nets,
and, in some instances, as many have been taken at a single haul as would
have filled thirty barrels. Sprats are generally eaten fresh, though, both
at Gravesend and Yarmouth, they are cured in the manner of red herrings. In
some countries they are pickled, and, in this state, they are little
inferior to anchovies, though the bones will not dissolve like those of
anchovies.
Immense numbers of sprats, larger in size than ours, are every year caught
on the coast of Sardinia. These are salted, packed in barrels, and exported
to various parts of the world under the name of _Sardines_.
245. _The ANCHOVY_ (Clupæa encrasicolus) _is a small fish of the herring
tribe, known from all the others by its upper jaw being considerably
longer than the under jaw._
_These fish seldom exceed the length of four or five inches._
_They are chiefly caught in the Mediterranean, and the principal fishery
for them is on the shores of Gorgona, a small island west of Leghorn.
They are also caught off the coast if France, and occasionally off our
own shores._
There are few persons fond of good eating to whom the anchovy, either in
the form of sauce or as an article of food, is unknown. With us, however,
it is seldom eaten in a recent state, the greater proportion of the
anchovies consumed in this country being brought in pickle from the
Mediterranean.
They are generally caught in nets during the night, being attracted
together by fires lighted on the shore, or by torches fixed to the boats
which are engaged in the fishery. As soon as they are caught the heads are
cut off and the entrails taken out; after this they are salted, or pickled,
and packed in barrels or earthen vessels for exportation.
In the choice of anchovies such should be selected as are small,
round-backed, fresh pickled, whitish on the outside and red within. The
most effectual method of concentrating the excellences of these fish is to
reduce the fleshy part to a soft pulp, and to boil this gently, for a few
minutes, with a certain proportion of water and spices. The substance thus
prepared is denominated _essence of anchovies_.
246. _The CARP_ (Cyprinus carpio, Fig. 70) _is a fresh-water fish known
by having one dorsal fin, three bony rays to the gill membrane, the mouth
with four fleshy beards, the second ray of the dorsal fin serrated
behind, and the body covered with large scales._
_These fish sometimes grow to a very large size._
_They inhabit slow and stagnated waters in various parts of Europe and
Persia, and were first introduced into England about the year 1514._
Carp are a useful species of fish for the stocking of ponds, and for the
supply of the table. In Polish Prussia they are an important article of
commerce; being sent alive in well-boats to Sweden, Russia, and other
parts. They are bred by the principal landholders of the country, to whom,
in many instances, they yield a very important revenue. If the rearing of
carp were better understood and practised in the marshy parts of England
than it now is, they would amply repay every expence and trouble that might
be bestowed upon them. The increase of these fish is very great: we are
informed by Bloch that four male and three female carp, put into a large
pond, produced in one year an offspring of no fewer than 110,000 fish. They
are also extremely long lived, instances having occurred of carp living to
the age of considerably more than 100 years. To fatten carp and increase
their size, the growth of vegetation in the ponds where they are kept
should be particularly attended to, as, during the summer-time, they
principally feed upon this. In winter, when the ponds are frozen over, care
must be taken to break the ice, that they may have access to the
atmospheric air, without which, if they are in great numbers, they will
die.
Carp are much esteemed as food, but a principal part of their excellence
depends on the mode in which they are cooked. They are best in season
during the autumnal and winter months. The usual mode of catching them is
with nets, and the most proper time at daybreak. These fish, if kept in a
cellar, in wet hay or moss, and fed with bread and milk, will live many
days out of the water, and will even become fat.
With the roes of carp, in the eastern parts of Europe, a kind of _caviar_
is made, which is sold in considerable quantity to the Jews, who hold that
of the sturgeon in abhorrence. The _sounds_, or air-bladders, of carp are
converted into a species of isinglass, and their _gall_ is in much repute,
with the Turks, for staining paper and for making a green paint.
247. _The TENCH_ (Cyprinus tinca, Fig. 63) _is a fish of the carp tribe,
distinguished by its mouth having only two beards, the scales being
small, the fins thick, and the whole body covered with a slimy matter._
_The weight of these fish seldom exceeds four or five pounds, but
instances have occurred of their weighing more than eleven pounds._
_They are found in stagnant waters in nearly all the temperate parts of
the globe._
There are not many fresh-water fish that are more excellent for the table
than these; yet the ancient Romans so much despised them, that they were
eaten by none but the lowest classes of the people. In the kingdom of
Congo, on the contrary, they were formerly so much esteemed that they were
allowed only to be eaten at court, and any person was liable to the
punishment of death who caught a tench and did not carry it to the royal
cook. Such tench as are caught in clear waters are much superior to those
which have inhabited muddy places. They thrive best in still waters, where
there are weeds at the bottom; and they are in season from the beginning of
October until the end of May.
248. _The GUDGEON_ (Cyprinus gobio) _is a small fish of the carp tribe,
with a thick and round body, two fleshy beards near the mouth, and the
dorsal and caudal fins spotted with black._
_Its length is usually about six inches, and its weight seldom more than
three or four ounces._
_This fish is an inhabitant of gentle streams, with gravelly or sandy
bottom, in most of the northern parts of Europe._
The flesh of gudgeons is white, firm, and of excellent flavour; but the
smallness of their size prevents these fish from being much in demand. They
are found in small shoals near the bottom of the water; and are caught both
with nets and lines. The bait that is used is generally a small earth-worm,
which they seize with great eagerness. The season when they are in greatest
perfection is from September till the end of the year.
Gudgeons are found to thrive well in ponds, if these be fed by brooks
running through them. Under favourable circumstances they have sometimes
attained an unusually large size. They feed on aquatic plants, worms,
water-insects, and the spawn of fish.
249. _The BLEAK_ (Cyprinus alburnus) _is a small fish of the carp tribe,
with somewhat pointed muzzle, and no beards; and the scales thin, shining
and slightly attached._
_It seldom exceeds the length of five or six inches._
_These fish inhabit fresh-water rivers, in nearly all the temperate parts
of Europe, and are extremely common in many if those of our own country._
There is, in Paris, a great consumption of bleaks on account of their
_scales_, which are used in the manufacture of _artificial pearls_. The
scales are scraped off into clear water, and beaten to an extremely fine
pulp. After this the water is several times changed until they are entirely
free from colour. The silvery matter that is left precipitates to the
bottom; and the water is carefully poured off from it, by inclining the
vessel. This substance, mixed with a little size, is introduced, in small
quantity, into thin glass bubbles, by a slender pipe, and moved about until
their whole interior surface is covered. The remaining part of the bubble
is then generally filled with wax. The inventor of this art was a Frenchman
of the name of Jannin, a bead merchant in Paris.
In some countries bleaks are pickled in the manner of anchovies. When of
large size they are well flavoured, but they are too bony to be in much
request as food, even by the poor. They are considered in greatest
perfection in the autumn.