numbers, as to make them clieap dishes for the poor man's table. They enter the Hudson in immense numbers towards the close of March or beginning of April, and ascend to the head of tide water to spawn. It is while on their passage up that the greater number and best conditioned arc caught, several hundreds being sometimes taken in a single "catch." They generally descend the river at the close of May, when they are

«l^

lIslIIN(r '5r ±x >\ --^,±11 Lh.O'S, MI\I),

called Back Shad, and are so lean and almost worthless, that "thin as a June Shad" is a common epithet applied to lean persons.

Tlie Sturgeon f is also caught from the Hudson in large numbers at most of the fishing stations. The most important of these are in the vicinity of Hyde Park, a few miles above, and Low Point, a few miles below, tho city of Poughkeepsie. These fish are sold in such quantities in Albany, that they have been called, in derision, ''Albany beef," and

■* Tlie largest flsh in the picture is the sturgeon, the smallest (he striped bass, and the other a sliad. The relative sizes and proportions are corpeet.

t The short-nosed Sturgeon (Acipenser hrcvinostris) is a large agile flsh without scales, tho smooth skin covered with small spinous asperites scattered equally over it. Its colour is dusky above, with faint traces of oblique bands ; belly white, and the fins tinged with reddish colour.

tr

146 THE HUDSON.

the inhabitants of that ancient town, " Sturgeonites." They vary in size from two to eight feet in length, and in weight from 100 to 450 lbs. The "catch" commences in April, and continues until the latter end of August. The flesh is used for food by some, and the oil that is extracted is considered equal to the best sperm as an illuminator.