Page:Natural History, Fishes.djvu/180

166 Indeed, except the head, a very thin back-bone, the skin, and the fins, the whole fish seems to be composed of solid fat, which melts over the fire into very fine train-oil, which may be used nearly like olive-oil. What renders this fish most remarkable is the circumstance that it had become known to the fishermen of Lake Baikal for the first time, only five years before the visit of Pallas, and that, in 1770 and 1771, it made its appearance in such immense numbers, that the dead fishes in some places, and particularly near the mouth of the Bargusin, covered the shores to the depth of several feet. In 1772 it had again become so rare that Pallas and Georgi had some difficulty in procuring a few specimens. Pallas expresses his opinion that this fish generally lives near the bottom of the lake, in the greatest depths, and that it was carried to the surface, in the above-named years, by some draughts of gas or air; but, being here out of its element, languished and died; for the fishes were invariably taken out either actually dead, or in a very languid state. The oil is sometimes obtained from the flesh of these fishes by subjecting them to pressure instead of heat; it is of considerable value, and, on being sent to the markets of China, finds a ready sale.

In this numerous genus the mouth is small, with teeth long, slender, conical, equal, and closely-set, arranged in a single row, generally with a canine on each side: the head is thick and obtuse, the muzzle short, the profile nearly vertical.