THE CARP FAMILY.
BY JOHN BICKERDYKE, M.A.
CARP.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.CARP.The members of the Carp Tribe are vegetable-feeders. They have teeth in the throat, but none in the jaws.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.CARP.The members of the Carp Tribe are vegetable-feeders. They have teeth in the throat, but none in the jaws.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
CARP.
The members of the Carp Tribe are vegetable-feeders. They have teeth in the throat, but none in the jaws.
The Carp Family, like the Perch group, is one of the largest among fishes. It includes the Rudd, Roach, Tench, Bream, Minnow, etc., and is divided into many groups, which again include numerous species found chiefly in the temperate and tropical parts of the world. Included among these are the Barbels, of which there are about 200 species, varying from little fishes of 2 inchesto monsters of 6 feet or more in length. Some of the largest are found in the Tigris; but the Mahseer of India must be regarded as the king of all the species. In some of the rivers flowing from the Himalaya Mountains are curious Barbel which have their vent and anal fin in a sheath covered with large scales. Roach are important members of the Carp Family, and the Roach group is a very large one, including the various fishes coming under the term of "white fish" in Germany. The Roach proper is common all over Europe north of the Alps. In this group is the Ide of the central and northern parts of Europe, which when domesticated becomes golden in hue, and is then called the Golden Orf, a pretty fish kept in many English aquariums. Rudd are found all over Europe and Asia Minor. Of Tench, only one species is known, the Golden Tench being merely a variety differing in the matter of colour. The Bream group consists of the Common Bream, Bream-flat, and the American Bream, or Shiner. Lastly, we may mention the Bleak group, of which there are fifteen known species in Europe, East Africa, and the temperate parts of Asia. This list by no means exhausts the numerous members of the Carp Family.
GOLD-FISH.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.GOLD-FISH.A native of China and the warmer parts of Japan.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.GOLD-FISH.A native of China and the warmer parts of Japan.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
GOLD-FISH.
A native of China and the warmer parts of Japan.
TheCommon Carpis one of the most remarkable fishes which swim. In early times in England it was extensively cultivated as a food-fish, and in Germany at the present day is as much domesticated as the sheep, pig, or ox. The fish-culturists have indeed done extraordinary things with it, having, for instance, produced a variety with a single row of scales down each side and sometimes on the back only, called theMirror-carp, orKing-carp. There is also theLeather-carp, with no scales at all, which is much esteemed in Germany.
There is reason to believe that the common carp was originally a native of the East, and it certainly has been domesticated in China for many hundreds of years. Thence it is supposed to have been imported to Germany and Sweden, reaching England some time in the early years of the fifteenth century. In that curious work the "Boke of St. Albans," published in 1496, it is said that the carp is a "dayntous fysshe, but there ben fewe in Englonde, and therefore I wryte the lesse of hym."
China is the home of theGold-fish, a pretty little carp common in that country and the warmer parts of Japan. The Chinese have distorted Nature with regard to this fish even more than the Germans have the common carp. Their most extraordinary monstrosity is, perhaps, theTelescope-fish, which has a huge tail and projecting eyes. It is believed that gold-fish were not known in England before the year 1691.
The carp has many interesting peculiarities. It is an extraordinarily fertile fish, and one of the most rapid growers in fresh-water. Under the most favourable conditions it attains a weight of from 3 to 3½ lbs. in three years. In a pond which is overstocked, carp hardly increase in weight at all; while, on the other hand, their growth in hot countries is very much greater than above stated. A fish of from 4 to 5 lbs. may contain, on an average, from 400,000 to 500,000 eggs; these are spawned in May or June, and hatched in from twelve to sixteen days, according to the temperature.
The life of this curious fish may be one of extraordinary duration, carp having been known to attain an age of a hundred years or more. When very old, they are apt to go blind and develop white marks, due to the growth of funguses.
In the winter carp either bury themselves in the mud, or lie among the water-weeds or roots of trees at the bottom. They are vegetarians for the most part, with no teeth in their mouths, but strong, powerful grinding-teeth in their throats; they are believed to regurgitate their food and chew it, somewhat as a cow chews the cud.
With regard to the weight which this fish attains, one of 19 lbs. was taken at Sheffield Park in 1882. This was exceptionally large; but one still larger, weighing 21 lbs. 10 ozs., was caught at Bayham Abbey, near Lamberhurst, in 1870; while one of 22 lbs. was exhibited many years ago to the Zoological Society. In the German lakes these fish reach a weight of 40 lbs., or even more.
Carp will, however, occasionally eat small fish, and have even been caught with a salmon-fly.
PIKES, ARAPAIMAS, BEAKED SALMON, AND SCOPELIDS.
BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.
The Pikes are strictly fresh-water fishes, which are extremely voracious, and grow to a large size. They are met with in most of the fresh-waters of Europe, Asia, and America; yet they must be regarded rather as a Western than an Eastern type, since all the known species occur in America, whilst only one—the Common Pike—is known outside that country. These fishes capture their prey by stealth—practised, however, not so much by concealment as by lying suspended in the water, perfectly motionless save for the movement of the gills, which is barely perceptible. When the victim comes within reach, it is seized by a sudden rush. The form of the body is admirably adapted to this manner of feeding, resembling rather a submerged log than a fish. It is, furthermore, on account of this shape that the name Pike has been bestowed, since it recalls the "pike" borne by the soldiers of bygone days.
When on the feed, nothing comes amiss to pike, and the havoc they commit in trout-streams is enormous. Not only other fishes are devoured, but both the young and adults of water-birds are frequently seized, and instances are on record where boys have been attacked while bathing. The mouth of a pike bristles with teeth, even the roof being thickly covered. These are all attached by hinges, moving readily backwards towards the throat, so as to assist the swallowing operation, but preventing any possibility of the victim's escape.
In Great Britain the pike is held in high esteem by anglers, though as an article of food it does not find much favour. The females are larger than the males. The largest specimens attain a length of about 4 feet, sometimes a little more, and a weight of from 36 to 37 lbs.
PIKE.Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.PIKE.The most voracious of British fresh-water fishes.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.PIKE.The most voracious of British fresh-water fishes.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.
PIKE.
The most voracious of British fresh-water fishes.
About six species of pike are known, five of which are confined to American waters. Of these, the one known as theMusket-lunge, orMuskinonge, attains the same large size as the common pike; the other species are known asPikerel. The immature pike is commonly called aJack.
PIKEREL.Photo by N. Lazarnick][New York.PIKEREL.This is an American species.
Photo by N. Lazarnick][New York.PIKEREL.This is an American species.
Photo by N. Lazarnick][New York.
PIKEREL.
This is an American species.
'SERGEANT BAKER'Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea."SERGEANT BAKER."An edible Australian representative of the group of fishes which, for want of an English name, are here called Scopelids.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea."SERGEANT BAKER."An edible Australian representative of the group of fishes which, for want of an English name, are here called Scopelids.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
"SERGEANT BAKER."
An edible Australian representative of the group of fishes which, for want of an English name, are here called Scopelids.
BEAKED SALMON.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.BEAKED SALMON.Known in New Zealand as the Sand-eel.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.BEAKED SALMON.Known in New Zealand as the Sand-eel.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
BEAKED SALMON.
Known in New Zealand as the Sand-eel.
TheArapaimasare large fresh-water fishes, confined to the tropics, their distribution being practically the same as that of the Lung-fishes; they are represented in America, Australia, and Africa, but one species occurs in the East Indian Archipelago. The largest species of all—which is also the largest fresh-water bony fish known—is found in the rivers of Brazil and the Guianas, attaining a length of 15 feet and a weight of 400 lbs. It is highly esteemed as an article of food, being salted and exported from the inland fisheries to the sea-ports. The natives take it either with a rod and line, or with a bow and arrow, a line being fastened to the arrow, thus converting it into a harpoon.
Four species of arapaimas are distinguished by the presence of "barbels" on the chin; of these, two are Australian, one American, and one occurs in Sumatra and Borneo. Yet another species is found in the Nile and the rivers of West Africa. The Australian species, like the large Brazilian form, are highly esteemed as food; one of these, known as theDawson River Salmon, is confined to the rivers of Queensland, the other to the rivers emptying into the Gulf of Carpentaria.
TheBeaked Salmonoccurs in the open seas of the Cape, Japan, and Australia; but in New Zealand, where it is known as theSand-eel, it is found in bays with a sandy bottom.
The group of fishes known asScopelidsis one of particular interest, on account of the number of remarkable forms which it contains. For the most part they are inhabitants of the open sea, many being found only at great depths. Of the latter, some apparently come to the surface to feed at night, whilst others are entirely confined to the abysses of the ocean. As with the members of other groups which have adopted a deep-sea habitat, certain modifications of the body have become necessary in these fishes. Many of them have a direct relation to the absence of light, which has rendered normal eyes of little use; consequently the eyes of these fishes have become either greatly reduced or enormously enlarged, or sometimes lost altogether. As a rule the large-eyed forms are those which come to the surface at night or do not live beyond the reach of daylight; whilst those in which the eyes are small or reduced live in the very lowest depths, far beyond the limit of daylight. In all these forms compensation for the loss of light has taken place, generally by the development of phosphorescent organs. These may take the form of a number of luminous areas distributed down each side of the body, as in thePhosphorescent Sardine; or of a pair of lens-like light-producing organs, occupying the place of the eyes of other fishes. Another eyeless member of the group, instead of developing light-producing organs, has increased the length of the rays of the paired fins to an enormous extent, so that they serve as delicate feelers either for the discovery of food or the detection of enemies. Many of the fishes of this group have extremely large mouths, armed with a formidable array of tusk-like teeth, between which are numerous smaller ones.
As food-fishes the majority of the Scopelids are not of much value. The species known as theQueensland Smelt, shown in the adjoining photograph, is an edible species, occurring off the north-west coast of Australia. Its near ally, theBummaloe, orBombay Duck, however, enjoys a quite exceptional notoriety. Salted and dried, it is exported in large quantitiesfrom Bombay and the coast of Malabar, and forms an indispensable adjunct to an Indian curry. This fish apparently inhabits considerable depths, and when freshly taken is brilliantly phosphorescent. Another edible species is the "Sergeant Baker" of Australia, of which a photograph is given on page653.
QUEENSLAND SMELT.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.QUEENSLAND SMELT.A near ally of the Bummaloe, or Bombay Duck, that indispensable adjunct to an Indian curry.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.QUEENSLAND SMELT.A near ally of the Bummaloe, or Bombay Duck, that indispensable adjunct to an Indian curry.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
QUEENSLAND SMELT.
A near ally of the Bummaloe, or Bombay Duck, that indispensable adjunct to an Indian curry.
With regard to the deep-sea Scopelids, it is interesting to note that, in addition to very remarkable modifications of the eyes and fins, and the production of phosphorescent light, certain of the body-cavities are characterised by an intensely black coloration. The inside of the mouth, the gills, and the lining of the abdomen, for example, are always so coloured in those fishes which inhabit the deepest abysses. This coloration is difficult to account for, but it is generally supposed to be due to excretory products. Another interesting point concerns the air-bladder. Whenever this organ is present in the fishes of this or any other family inhabiting the abysses of the ocean, it bursts before the unfortunate victim is brought to the surface, owing to the enormous differences in pressure which obtain between the depths of the sea and the surface.
THE SALMON FAMILY.
BY SIR HERBERT MAXWELL, BART., F.R.S.
Although the Salmon Family occupies a low place in the classification of fishes, yet every member thereof is possessed of singular beauty of form and colour. TheAtlantic Salmon, which is the species frequenting European rivers and those of the eastern coast of North America, may be considered the type of the family, and certainly it would be difficult to name any animal more perfectly adapted to its peculiar mode of life, which is one of constant activity. A native of fresh-water, hatched in early spring from eggs laid in rivers during the winter months, it spends from fifteen to twenty-seven months in the shallows of the river, almost indistinguishable in habits and appearance from a small common trout. Sometimes in the second spring after its birth, and failing that, always in the third spring, the fish, having attained the length of 5 or 6 inches, undergoes a wonderful change: its prevailing tints of olive and gold become overspread with a glittering coat of silver, knownto anglers as the "sea-jacket," and shoals of "smolts," as they are called in this stage, begin descending to the sea. In about fifteen or eighteen months, perhaps in some instances longer, they return to the inland waters as "grilse"—small salmon from 2 to 5 lbs. in weight. Grilse and mature salmon spawn chiefly in November and December, undergoing, before they do so, another strange metamorphosis. Their brilliant silvery scales become darkly discoloured, the males turning copper-colour, the females blackish and dull purple; their elegant form becoming distorted to such a degree as to render them hardly recognisable as the same fish which left the tide in the perfection of beauty. In their efforts to reach the higher waters where they spawn, salmon display extraordinary perseverance and activity in surmounting weirs, waterfalls, and other obstacles which bar their way. After spawning, the fish are emaciated and lanky, but speedily regain the bright silver hue so characteristic of the species. In this state they are usually known as "kelts"; they are worthless either for food or for sport, and make their way back to the sea, where abundant provender soon restores their condition. Their chief food consists of herrings, haddocks, and other small fishes. Dr. Kingston Barton recently recorded finding five full-grown herrings in the stomach of one salmon. Although the excellence of their flesh exposes salmon to the attacks of innumerable foes, including man, predacious fishes, seals, and cetaceans, a few survive for many years and attain to great size. Fish weighing from 30 to 40 lbs. are far from uncommon; one of 60 lbs. has been taken in the Tay with rod and line, and the same river has yielded one of upwards of 70 lbs. to the nets. The fine sport afforded to anglers by the salmon causes a good beat on a prolific river to be a very valuable property. Two thousand pounds was the season's rent paid a few years ago for less than three miles of the Tweed, and the season happened to be such a bad one that the lessee only killed thirteen fish!
SALMON-TROUT.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.SALMON-TROUT.Known also as the Sea-trout, and in Ireland as the White Trout.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.SALMON-TROUT.Known also as the Sea-trout, and in Ireland as the White Trout.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
SALMON-TROUT.
Known also as the Sea-trout, and in Ireland as the White Trout.
Closely resembling the true salmon in habits and appearance, and sometimes rivalling it even in size, are two kinds of sea-trout—theSalmon-trout, greatly prized both for its sporting qualities and for the excellence of its flesh, and theBull-trout, a very inferior fish in both respects. Bull-trout are not infrequently taken in the Tay weighing upwards of 40 lbs.
The Pacific Ocean has its counterpart to the Atlantic salmon and sea-trout in several closely allied species, whereof theQuinnatand theSteelheadare the most notable. These ascend the great rivers of Western North America in prodigious shoals, penetrating more than 2,000 miles inland to deposit their spawn. Few of these fish survive to return to the sea. In their emaciated condition they succumb to exhaustion and starvation; their corpses, piled to the height of several feet, line the banks of the river for miles, and contribute nothing to the traveller's comfort. Although Pacific salmon are of no value to the sportsman, as they are said to refuse any bait in fresh-water, yet they are the staple of an important trade, tens of thousands of tons being taken and canned for export.
If we could peer far enough back into the course of time, we should no doubt be able to identify a common stock from which all the Salmon Family are descended. That they are all natives of fresh-water is proved by the fact that they cannot reproduce their kind in the sea. Those that resort to the ocean for food must be the descendants of vigorous, roving members of the family, which, having to choose between starvation and migration, braved theperils of travel, and became so much altered in constitution by the liberal diet they found as to establish themselves as separate species.
Among the stay-at-homes there are many interesting and beautiful fishes. None of them exhibit the variable nature of the family more than the commonBrook-troutof British waters, and not long since men of science dignified each of these varieties by a separate title, treating them as distinct species. However, experiment and observation have now led to the almost unanimous conclusion that the pygmy denizens of some hungry Highland burn, whereof the weight must be reckoned in fractions of ounces, are of precisely the same species as the lordly trout of deep lakes, which sometimes scales as much as 25 lbs., and as all the other innumerable varieties, such as the trout of the Thames, of the English chalk-streams, and of the Irish loughs. The quality of the soil affects the food-supply, which in turn regulates the size and appearance of the fish. Moreover, Nature seems indifferent to the number of individuals composing the population which the water is to sustain. If there are no pike, and spawning-ground is abundant, there will be many and small fish; if the contrary is the case, there will be few and large ones; the aggregate weight per acre of water will remain the same, proportioned to the food-supply. The American equivalent of the British brook-trout is theRainbow-trout, a beautiful creature which has lately been widely distributed in European waters. What is known as the brook-trout in America really belongs to the Char group, fish of the Salmon Family, closely resembling trout, but distinguished from them by extraordinary brilliancy of colour. Common trout, like salmon, lose all their beauty as the spawning-season approaches. Char, on the other hand, take gaudy colouring at that time, the whole of the under-parts becoming clear red or flame-colour. Unlike trout, British char never enter rivers, but spawn in lakes. In Norway, however, char descend to the sea. The distribution of char is indeed mysterious, nor has any explanation been offered why they inhabit certain waters, while other lakes in the neighbourhood, apparently equally suitable, contain none.
TheGraylingis an elegant member of the Salmon Family, and a deserved favourite with fly-fishers. Instead of the golden tints and scarlet spots of the brook-trout, this fish displays the silvery colouring of the salmon-trout. It is not at all uncommon to meet with grayling in the chalk-streams of Southern England weighing 3 lbs. and upwards.
ThePowanis the type of another large group of salmon-like fishes, inhabiting lakes in the temperate and subarctic regions of both hemispheres. There are four species in Great Britain, among which may be mentioned the mysteriousVendaceof Lochmaben, unknown to exist elsewhere.
AMERICAN SALMON-TROUT FROM DIAMOND LAKE, NEW ZEALAND.Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.AMERICAN SALMON-TROUT FROM DIAMOND LAKE, NEW ZEALAND.These fish were taken out of the water to be photographed, and then put back again.
Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.AMERICAN SALMON-TROUT FROM DIAMOND LAKE, NEW ZEALAND.These fish were taken out of the water to be photographed, and then put back again.
Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
AMERICAN SALMON-TROUT FROM DIAMOND LAKE, NEW ZEALAND.
These fish were taken out of the water to be photographed, and then put back again.
Lastly, the Salmon Family is closed by the delicateSmelt, called in Scotland theSparling, which is netted in vast numbers in the estuaries of suitable rivers. It never ascends beyond the highest point of thetide, where it deposits its spawn in the spring months. It is a gratifying tribute to the good work done of late years by the local authorities in purifying the Thames that, after a long absence, this valuable fish has reappeared in that river, which it now ascends in considerable numbers as high as Teddington Weir.
SMELT.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.SMELT.This fish is remarkable for its peculiar smell when freshly caught, which resembles that of the cucumber.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.SMELT.This fish is remarkable for its peculiar smell when freshly caught, which resembles that of the cucumber.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
SMELT.
This fish is remarkable for its peculiar smell when freshly caught, which resembles that of the cucumber.
Much discussion has taken place recently with regard to the question whether salmon feed while in fresh-water. Not long ago it was announced that they suffered from a diseased condition of the stomach during this period, and were consequently quite unable to feed. Subsequently it was found that the supposed diseased condition of the stomach was due to the fishes not being perfectly fresh when they were examined. It is now known that although salmon do not feed freely in fresh-water, yet they take a certain amount of nutriment, such as an occasional shrimp, fly, or even small fish, while there.
THE HERRING AND ITS KINDRED.
BY F. G. AFLALO, F.Z.S.
"King herring," as the trade-paper of the fishing industry rightly calls it, is one of the chief commercial fishes of the British seas, and the enormous North Sea herring fisheries probably support more boats and men from all parts than any other. Europe has no very large herring; but theTarponof the Mexican coast, as well as another giant which occurs in the northern waters of Australia, grows to an enormous size. All the members of the Herring Family feed and travel near the surface of the sea, and are therefore caught in drift-nets, miles of which are "shot" a few fathoms from the top of the water, catching the shoaling-fish in their meshes. All of them, too, are wanderers, most capricious in their goings and comings. Hence the uncertainty of the fisherman's wage.
The principal kinsmen of the herring in British seas are theSpratandPilchard, though the two kinds ofShad, which, like the salmon, ascend certain rivers for spawning purposes, also support a number fishermen; and theAnchovyis, authorities have lately suspected, sufficiently numerous on the British coasts to repay a regular fishery, if the men could be induced to try the experiment and use a sufficiently fine-meshed net for this little fish.
TheHerringof the more northern waters is larger than that of the English Channel, 17 inches being recorded as its maximum size in the former, as against only 12¼ inches farther south. In the Baltic, however, the writer found the herrings still smaller than those of the English Channel. The herring lacks the lateral line, already alluded to in other fishes; its scales are large and thin; its under-edge is smooth and keeled; and the male is slightly the larger of the two sexes. TheSprat, on the other hand, is a smaller species. It has no teeth; its belly is saw-edged; its back-fin starts nearer the tail than that of the herring. The herring, moreover, differs from the sprat, and indeed from all our most important fishes, in that its eggs sink to the bottom. The eggs of almost all other sea-fish float at or near the surface of the sea, so that the herring's spawn alone can be damaged by the operations of theground-sweeping trawl-net. The shad's eggs also sink to the bottom, but are deposited in the less buoyant waters of rivers.
OX-EYED HERRING.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.OX-EYED HERRING.This species attains a length of several feet.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.OX-EYED HERRING.This species attains a length of several feet.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
OX-EYED HERRING.
This species attains a length of several feet.
ThePilchard, the all-important fish (together with mackerel) on the south-west coast of England, is of a more decided green hue than either of the foregoing. Its scales are large and coarse, and its back-fin starts closer to the head than in the rest. The pilchard of Cornwall and the sardine of the Mediterranean are one and the same fish in different stages of growth—that is to say, the pilchard is a grown-up sardine. The late Matthias Dunn of Mevagissey was one of the first practical fishermen to accept this identity, and the flourishing sardine factory at his native town bears lasting witness to his enterprise. Although, from the economic standpoint, we associate the pilchard with the extreme south-west of the English Channel, the fish finds its way to more eastern counties. The writer has found it at both Bournemouth and Ventnor; and it is taken, though sparsely, in the herring-nets of the North Sea fleets.
TheAnchovy, smaller than any of the foregoing, may be distinguished by its projecting, shark-like snout and deeply cleft mouth. It is seen in England only pickled for table purposes, but the writer used fresh anchovies for bait almost daily during a stay of four months on the shores of the Mediterranean.
The two shads—theAllis ShadandTwaite Shad—are in some respects, though less important commercially, the most interesting of the family. Their habit of coming up rivers to spawn, like salmon, has been already noticed, but they appear to be more difficult to please than the other fish. The Severn used to be a noted shad-river, but the fishery has fallen off of late years. TheAllis Shadgrows to a weight of 7 or 8 lbs., and its pale green and silver scales are varied by some darker spots at irregular intervals on the shoulders and sides. The edge of the belly is serrated, like that of the sprat. The fish has a curious transparent eyelid, and its other peculiarities include an abnormally large number of gill-rakers, through which the water filters much as it does through the "whalebone" of whales. Its food is said to consist of small fishes and shrimps, as well as of vegetable substances. Though usually caught, for market purposes, in a seine-net, which is slipped round the shoal in shallow water, the shad is now and then taken on the hook, and instances of this are on record in the neighbourhood of Deal. The rivers of Morocco are very productive of shad, particularly theBouregregat Rabat, and theUm Erbeyaat Azimur. At the latter town the writer has bought newly caught shad weighing 5 or 6 lbs. for native money equivalent to as many pence,and very excellent fish they proved in camp. TheTwaite Shadis a somewhat smaller fish, attaining to a maximum weight of perhaps a couple of pounds. It is not known to differ materially in habits from the larger species.
Reverting for a moment to the herring as a type of the family, a few words may be said on some very interesting facts in connection with its life-history and commercial uses. In the first place, the fact that the spawn sinks to the bottom is of more importance than would at first sight appear, since it not only exposes this spawn to disturbance by the trawl, but also subjects it to the voracity of cod, haddock, and other ground-feeding fishes. Some little protection is afforded by a natural provision which enables the eggs to adhere to stones and weeds, but this cannot in the long-run be of much service against prowling fishes. The eggs of the shad, which likewise sink (in fresh-water), do not adhere in this way.
QUEENSLAND LUNG-FISH.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.QUEENSLAND LUNG-FISH.Known also as the Dawson River Salmon, on account of the colour and flavour of its flesh.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.QUEENSLAND LUNG-FISH.Known also as the Dawson River Salmon, on account of the colour and flavour of its flesh.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
QUEENSLAND LUNG-FISH.
Known also as the Dawson River Salmon, on account of the colour and flavour of its flesh.
The migrations of the herring, again, have furnished almost as much material for argument to marine biologists as the migrations of birds in ornithological circles. Older naturalists described marvellous Arctic journeyings with careful attention to detail, much of which is now repudiated. Later theories hold that the shoals of herrings simply move, according to changes in the weather and temperature, backwards and forwards between the shore and the deeper water outside; and so far as the fishermen are concerned, the mere fact of the fish moving at any season of the year beyond reach of their drift-nets, which work at only moderate distances from the land, would be quite sufficient to convince them that the absent fish had departed on world-wide travels. Much of the former acceptance of these extensive migrations may have been due to confusion between the goings and comings of the different races of herrings now recognised by biologists. It is also probable that, when the identity and movements of these different "races" are more firmly established, we shall be able to clear up many of the difficulties at present surrounding the spawning-time of the herring, and to show that it does not, as sometimes alleged, deposit its spawn at every season of the year indiscriminately, but that some herrings spawn at one season, some at another. Although the herring is not, individually and by comparison with some other sea-fish, an enormously fertile fish, its numbers must be fairly large, when we bear in mind that something like 50,000 crans a week are, in good seasons, packed in Shetland alone. Taking, as an average, 750 fish to the cran, this gives a weekly curing of not far short of 40,000,000 of herrings in a single fishery. Owing indeed to the property, already noted, of adhering to stonesand rocks, it is improbable that even the trawl troubles the eggs to any appreciable extent, as the stony ground on which the herrings generally spawn is not suited to the operations of the trawler. The spawning and life-history of the herring are, in fact, the converse of those of the plaice. The former deposits its eggs on the ground close inshore, and the young herrings, almost as soon as they are hatched, steer for the open sea and live near the surface of the water. The flat-fishes, on the other hand, deposit eggs that float at the surface some distance from the shore; and the young plaice and soles, when hatched, come inshore and take up their residence close to the bed of the sea.
AUSTRALIAN PILCHARDS.Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.AUSTRALIAN PILCHARDS.Distinct from the British species.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.AUSTRALIAN PILCHARDS.Distinct from the British species.
Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.][Milford-on-Sea.
AUSTRALIAN PILCHARDS.
Distinct from the British species.
It would be improper to conclude this account of the Herring Family without a passing reference to the commercial mixture known as "Whitebait." Until comparatively late in the last century whitebait was regarded, even by scientific men, as a distinct species, and there were even some who declared that they had identified peculiar characters. It is now, however, common knowledge that the so-called "whitebait" is neither more nor less than a mixture of young herrings and sprats, the former predominating in summer, the latter in winter. Other fishes are also found in the dish, and, appropriately enough, at a recent banquet given by the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers, at which the writer had the pleasure of "assisting," a plate of whitebait was found to include no sprats, but the fry of herrings, gurnards, and sand-eels: this was in the month of July. Whitebait are caught in special fine-meshed nets in river-estuaries; and although they make a capital dish for the epicure, the large supplies needed for the restaurants probably entail a most regrettable sacrifice of valuable food-fishes, which, if left a year or two, would provide food for ten times the number of consumers. It would, however, be too much to expect that epicures should give up such an unrivalled dish for this cause. Moreover, if these little fishes were not captured by man, it is highly probable that a large proportion would fall victims to birds or other fishes.
BONY PIKE, BOW-FIN, STURGEON, REED-FISH, AND BICHIR.
BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.
The present chapter deals with the remaining forms belonging to that great assemblage of fishes known as the Bony-mouthed group, which includes all the members of the class save the Lung-fishes on the one hand and the Shark Tribe on the other.
This great assemblage, as we have already remarked, is divided into two sections—the Fan- and Fringe-finned Fishes. The fishes presently to be described belong partly to the one and partly to the other of these divisions, and were at one time, together with the Lung-fishes, regarded as nearly allied, and as forming but a single group, which, on account of the structure of the scales, was known as the Enamel-scaled group.
TheBony Pike, theBow-fin, and theSturgeonare the last of the Fan-finned Fishes.
TheBony Pike, orGar-pike, is an inhabitant of the fresh-waters of North America, and has the most completely ossified skeleton and the most perfectly jointed backbone of all the fishes, whilst externally it is covered with a complete armour of thick, quadrangular scales coated with enamel. Three distinct species of this family are known, all of which are of large size, attaining a length of 6 feet. They are carnivorous in their habits, lying in wait among the reeds, and rushing out to seize their prey as soon as within range. In the Mississippi, great lakes, and rivers of South Carolina bony pike are especially abundant, occurring at times in such numbers as to fill the shad-nets and render the fishery for many days impossible. The larger members are said to be as aggressive as sharks, and remarkably tenacious of life.
x-smaller sp1 m025Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
BONY PIKE.Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.BONY PIKE.One of the very few survivors of the ancient group of Enamel-scaled Fishes.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.BONY PIKE.One of the very few survivors of the ancient group of Enamel-scaled Fishes.
Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.][Parson's Green.
BONY PIKE.
One of the very few survivors of the ancient group of Enamel-scaled Fishes.
The geographical distribution of theBow-finclosely corresponds with that of the bony pike. It is an extremely common fish, and, though worthless for food purposes, has yet been deemed worthy of a number of different names, such asGrindle,Dog-fish,Sawyer,Mud-fish, andLawyer-fish. At one time it was regarded as a near ally of the Herring Tribe, but modern research has shown this view to be erroneous. The bow-fin attains a length of about 2 feet, and is very voracious, preying both upon other fishes and aquatic insects and shrimps. It has a habit of coming frequently to the surface to breathe, especially when the water is foul, taking in large mouthfuls of air. When near the surface, it is said to utter a bell-like note,probably caused by the escape of air from the air-bladder. During the breeding-season the male takes entire charge of the eggs.
STURGEON.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.STURGEON.The air-bladder of the sturgeon is used for making isinglass, its roe for caviare.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.STURGEON.The air-bladder of the sturgeon is used for making isinglass, its roe for caviare.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
STURGEON.
The air-bladder of the sturgeon is used for making isinglass, its roe for caviare.
TheSturgeonsdiffer from the other fan-finned fishes in many particulars. To begin with, the skeleton is almost entirely cartilaginous instead of bony, whilst externally the body is either naked or covered with bony bucklers, arranged symmetrically. The snout is prolonged into a more or less shovel-shaped beak, used for turning over the mud at the bottom of the water in search of prey, and in some forms this becomes further developed into a spoon-shaped paddle, constituting one of the most remarkable appendages of fishes.
STERLET.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.STERLET.A smaller species of the Sturgeon group.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.STERLET.A smaller species of the Sturgeon group.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
STERLET.
A smaller species of the Sturgeon group.
Sturgeons grow to a large size, and are the largest of the fresh-water fishes of the northern hemisphere. TheGiant Sturgeonof the Black and Caspian Seas and the Sea of Azoff attains a length of 24 feet, and sometimes more, specimens of 3,200 lbs. weight having been recorded.
On account of the wholesomeness of their flesh, sturgeons are highly esteemed wherever they are found. In Russian rivers they are very abundant, regular fishing-stations being established for their capture. The approach of a shoal of fish is announced by a watchman, and it is said as many as 15,000 sturgeon have been captured at one of these stations in a single day. Should the fishing be suspended for a short time, the fish assemble in such numbers as to form a solid mass, completely blocking a river 400 feet in width and 25 feet in depth.
BICHIR.Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.BICHIR.A second representative of the Enamel-scaled group.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.BICHIR.A second representative of the Enamel-scaled group.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
BICHIR.
A second representative of the Enamel-scaled group.
From the roe of these fishes caviare is made, and isinglass from the inner liningof the air-bladder. But the best-flavoured flesh and the finest caviare are obtained from a comparatively small form, theSterlet, a species which does not exceed a yard in length. It is common in the Black and Caspian Seas, the Siberian rivers, and the Danube as far as Vienna.