THE ANCHOVY. (Engraulis encrasicolus.)
Like the herring and sprat, these fish leave the depths of the open sea, in order to frequent the smooth and shallow places of the coast, for the purpose of spawning. The fishermen generally light a fire on the shore, for the purpose of attracting the Anchovies, when they fish for them in the night. After they are cleaned, and their heads cut off, they are cured in a particular way, and packed in small barrels for sale and exportation. Anchovies are occasionally found both in the North Sea and in the Baltic; but they are in much greater number in the Mediterranean than in any other part of the world. They have sometimes, though rarely, been caught in the river Dee, on the coasts of Flintshire and Cheshire. The upper jaw of this fish is longer than the under; the back is brown; the sides silvery; fins short; the dorsal fin, opposite the ventrals, transparent; the tail fin-forked. Its length is about three inches.