Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/339

Rh fish deposit their spawn in the sand or gravel; those inhabiting the depths of the ocean attach their eggs to sea-weeds.

The Longevity of Fish is said to exceed that of most animals, athough the age to which they attain is a matter of some disput; there are, however, well authenticated instances of the great longevity of the carp. Fish are either solitary or gregarious, and some of them migrate to great distances, and into certain rivers, to deposit their spawn. Of sea-fish, the cod, herring, mackerel, and many others, assemble in immense shoals, and migrate through different tracts of the ocean.

The supply of Fish in the Ocean may be considered to be practically inexhaustible, notwithstanding the excessive dredging, which has diminished the supply around the coasts of England and some other European countries. In various parts of the world fish constitutes the chief or only animal food of the people; but it is consumed more or less in most countries, and many prejudices have existed regarding its use. Fish was but little eaten by the Jews, and the Mosaic code interdicted the eating of fish destitute of scales and fins, although other kinds were not prohibited; and from the New Testament we know that several of the Apostles followed the calling of fishermen. Among the ancient Egyptians fish was an article of diet, but was not eaten by the priests.

Fish has been held in estimation as an article of diet in nearly every civilized country. Although Menelaus complains that the Homeric heroes had been compelled to live on fish, in later ages fish became one of the principal articles of food among the Greeks. Aristophanes and Athenaeus allude to it, and satirize their countrymen for their extreme fondness for turbot and mullet; and the latter author has left on record some valuable precepts on the ingenuity of the Greeks in seasoning fish with salt, oil and aromatics. The Roman epicures were especially fond of red mullet, which they esteemed the most delicate; the eel-pout and the liver of the lotas were also favourite dishes. It is stated that Apicius offered a prize to any one who could invent a new brine (marinade) compounded of the liver of red mullets; and that Lucullus, the famous epicure, constructed a canal in the neighbourhood of Naples for the ready transportation of fish to his garden. Hortensius, the actor, is said to have wept over a turbot which he had fed with his own hands; and the daughter of Drusus ornamented one that she possessed with rings of gold. The French King, Louis XII, was an ardent lover of fish, and engaged six fishmongers to supply his table. Francis I had twenty-two fishmongers, while the requirements of Henry the Great necessitated the employment of twenty-four. In the time of Louis XIV cooks had become so skilful in their art, that trout, pike or carp were converted by them into the shape and flavour of the most delicious game. Large reservoirs and canals were erected in many parts, for the breeding of carp and other fish. Marie