Globe Fisheries.
Hundreds of other species of fish are used as food, the fish that is nearest at hand being often the cheapest and best. Why, for example, is the flounder so cheap in the New York markets? In what waters are the cod and herring fisheries, sardine, oyster, sponge, pearl oyster? (See chart[TN3] on page 201.)
Amphibia and Reptiles as Food.—Frogs' legs are esteemed a delicacy. Certain reptiles are used as food by people of other nationalities, the Iguana, a Mexican lizard, being an example. Many of the sea-water turtles are of large size, the leatherback and the green turtle often weighing six hundred to seven hundred pounds each. The flesh of the green turtle and especially of the diamond-back terrapin, an animal found in the salt marshes along our southeastern coast, is highly esteemed as food. Unfortunately for the preservation of the species, these animals are usually taken during the breeding season when they go to sandy beaches to lay their eggs.
Birds as Food.—Birds, both wild and domesticated, form part of our food supply. Unfortunately our wild game birds are disappearing so fast that we should not consider them as a source of food. Our domestic fowls, turkey, ducks, etc., form an important food supply and poultry farms give lucrative employment to many people. Eggs of domesticated birds are of great importance as food, and egg albumin is used for other purposes,—clarifying sugars, coating photographic papers, etc.
Mammals as Food.—When we consider the amount of wealth invested in cattle and other domesticated animals bred and used for food in the United States, we see the great economic importance of mammals. The United States, Argentina, and Australia are the greatest producers of cattle. In this country hogs are largely raised for food. They are used fresh, salted, smoked as ham and bacon, and pickled. Sheep, which are raised in great quantities in Australia, Argentina, Russia, Uruguay, and this country, are one of the world's greatest meat supplies.
Goats, deer, many larger game animals, seals, walruses, etc., give food to people who live in parts of the earth that are less densely populated.
Feeding silkworms. The caterpillars are the white objects in the trays.
Domesticated Animals.— When man emerged from his savage state on the earth, one of the first signs of the beginning of civilization was the domestication of animals. The dog, the cow, sheep, and especially the horse, mark epochs in the advance of civilization. Beasts of burden are used the world over, horses almost all over the world, certain cattle, as the water buffalo, in tropical Malaysia; camels, goats, and the llama are also used as draft animals in some other countries.
Man's wealth in many parts of the world is estimated in terms of his cattle or herds of sheep. So many products come from these sources that a long list might be given, such as meats, milk, butter, cheese, wool, or other body coverings, leather, skins, and hides used for other purposes. Great industries are directly dependent upon our domesticated animals, as the making of shoes, the manufacture of woolen cloth, the tanning industry, and many others.