Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 59.djvu/553

Rh by nearly all authorities. The pilchard, as is well known, is one of the most important fishes of the southern coast of England, being especially abundant in Cornwall. Young pilchards or 'sardines' are found on the Cornish coast, but arc apparently not so numerous as in France and are in little demand, as canning is very limited in extent; on the other hand, large sardines or pilchards are caught on the French coast, but are much less abundant and less important than the small fish.

In allusion to the small sardine being caught almost wholly by means of bait consisting of fish roe (rogue), the French call it sardine de rogue, in contradistinction to the large fish which is taken without bait by-means of drift nets, and hence called sardine de derive. Modern French writers on the sardine fishery seem averse to acknowledging the specific identity of the sardine and the pilchard; some even fail to explain or suggest the relation between the large and small fishes of the west coast of France.

The pilchard is a well-marked species, easily distinguished by prominent radiating lines on the operculum and by large scales, as well as by other features. The usual length is eight or nine inches; the length of the largest recorded specimen was fourteen inches (taken in Cornwall). The sardine of the French coast is a handsome little fish, whose beauty is not entirely lost in canning. In the water the back is of a greenish color, but out of the water the upper parts are rich dark bluish, contrasting strongly with the silver and white of the sides and abdomen. The scales are very easily detached, but their loss does not detract seriously from the appearance of the fish, when either fresh or canned, as the skin is rather thick and has a brilliant uniform silvery color.

The range of the sardine extends from Sweden to the Madeira Islands. The southern coast of England, the Atlantic coast of France, and the Mediterranean Sea are the chief centers of abundance.

On the coast of Brittany the sardine de rogue is found about nine months of the year, being absent from the inshore waters most of the winter. When the fishing season opens, the fish are reported first at Arcachon and other southern points on the west coast, and gradually reach the districts toward the north. During the winter, however, the