The Anchovy is found on the coast of the Mediterranean and the western shores of France and Spain. It approaches the coast to spawn, and is then taken.

Anchovies are attracted to the net by furnaces lighted in some of the boats; they surround the boat which contains the light, the net is cast so as to surround the shoal, and then the fire is suddenly extinguished. The anchovies, startled and alarmed, turn to escape, and are caught in the net. The head and intestines of this fish are removed, and it is preserved in salt.

Anchovy Cutlets

Cut some bread, about half-an-inch thick, into the shape of pretty small cutlets, fry them a nice light-brown, then spread thinly upon them some anchovy paste; have an egg boiled very hard, chop it up small, yolk and white, with a little fresh parsley, which pile upon them, and serve hot. (See plate).

Sprats are sometimes preserved like anchovies.

The Basse is a sea-perch; it is an excellent fish for food.

Mullets are of two kinds, the red and the sea mullet. The red mullet is considered a great delicacy. It is celebrated as a fish in favour with the ancient Romans, who took pleasure in watching the changes of colour which it displays when dying. Extravagant sums were paid by them for large mullet, and at entertainments they were brought to table alive, and cooked before the eyes of the guests.

For very good recipes for cooking mullet, see Warne's "Model Cookery Book."The sea mullet is larger than the red, and is striped with yellow. The grey mullet is an excellent fish.

Fresh-water fish are very valuable inland.

The Perch is an excellent fish. It inhabits rivers, lakes, and running streams, and swims at the depth of two or three feet. It feeds on worms, insects, and small fish. Its flesh is very agreeable food. It spawns in April.

The Perch is one of the most wholesome of fish.

"The Carp," says Isaac Walton, "is the queen of rivers; a stately, a good, and a very subtle fish. It was not at first bred, nor hath been long in England, but is now naturalized. It is said they were brought hither by one Mr. Mascal, a gentleman that then lived at Plumstead. Doubtless there was a time when there were no carps in England, as may seem to be affirmed by Sir Richard Baker, in whose Chronicle you may find these verses: -

Hops and turkeys, carps and beer, Came into England all in a year".

Carp feed on grain and vegetable substances. They have in the back part of their mouth a remarkable apparatus for crushing their food. The carp delights in tranquil waters.

It will live, like the eel, a long time out of its native element; and is very tenacious of its life, which lasts for many years. At six years old it weighs about three pounds. During winter the carp buries it-self in the mud, and passes many months without eating.

We are tempted to add to this notice Isaac Walton's receipt for dressing a carp, as a specimen of the cookery of the 17th century: -

"Take a carp alive if possible; scour him and rub him clean with water and salt, but scale him not; then open him, and put him with his blood and liver, which you must save when you open him, into a small pot or kettle; then take sweet marjoram, thyme, and parsley, of each half a handful, a sprig of rosemary, and another of savoury. Bind them into two or three small bundles and put them to your carp, with four or five whole onions, twenty pickled oysters, and three anchovies. Then pour upon your carp as much claret wine as will only cover him, and season your claret well with salt, cloves, and mace, and the rind of oranges and lemons. That done, cover your pot and set it on a quick fire till it be sufficiently boiled; then take out the carp and lay it with the broth into the dish, and pour upon it a quarter of a pound of the best fresh butter melted, and beaten with half a dozen spoonfuls of the broth, the yolks of two or three eggs, and some of the herbs shred. Garnish with lemon".

The Barbel resembles the carp, and is a good fish for the table.

The Tench inhabits stagnant waters. It is less esteemed as food than the carp. It has been called the "physician of fish," having in former ages been thought to cure by its touch the other fish in the river or pond.

The Sturgeon is a royal fish.

Every sturgeon caught in the English rivers belongs to the Queen, except those which swim in the Thames below Temple Bar, which are the property of the Lord Mayor.

The sturgeon is as large as a shark, but has no teeth. It lives by suction, but manages to eat herrings, mackerel, and sometimes salmon, and it roots in the mud for worms and mollusks.

The body of the sturgeon is covered with plates of bone embedded in the skin in longitudinal rows. It is a wholesome fish, and very delicious as food; it may be cooked like veal.

The favourite Russian caviare is made from the eggs of the sturgeon. It is chiefly from the swimming bladder of these fishes that Russian isinglass is manufactured.

The Bream is a flat fish. It frequents still water like the pike, and is found in ponds. Its head is very small; it has no teeth; the colour bluish iron-grey. It is best stuffed and roasted like the pike.

The Chub frequents deep rivers, and lives chiefly on worms. Its flesh is not very good, but it is not bad when stewed in rich gravy.

The Roach and Dace are not much valued for the table though perfectly wholesome. They both haunt swift and gravelly streams.

The Barbel, named from its beard, frequents deep and rapid rivers. Its flesh is tasteless and poor.

The Gudgeon is a delicious little fish. It is taken in immense numbers in the Thames and the rivers of Surrey and Middlesex.

The Ruffe also abounds in the Thames. It is a variety of the perch. It is not much prized, and is sold very cheaply to the poor.

The Shad is a migratory fish which enters rivers for the purpose of spawning. It has much of the richness of the salmon, but is only in season for a fortnight just before spawning. After that time it is sold very cheaply.

Fresh-water fish are not always to be found at the fishmongers, but most of them may be had if desired. The price varies, and is quite uncertain.

"All fish," says Dr. Letheby, " are in their best condition at the time of the ripening of the milt and roe, for not only are they fatter at that time, but when cooked they have a better flavour, and the flesh is solid and opaque. On the other hand when they are out of condition the flesh is semi-gelatinous and watery".