ANCIIO'VY, Engraulis enehrctsieholus, a small fish, about a span long, much esteemed for its rich and peculiar flavor. It is not much longer than the middle finger, thicker in proportion than the herring, to which it has a general resemblance; the head is sharp pointed, and the under jaw much shorter than the upper; the scales large, silvery, and easily removed, the tail deeply forked. It is occasionally found on the British and is said to i.e not at all uncommon on the coast of Cornwall in the latter part of summer and beginning of autumn. It would seem to have been formerly more abun dant than it now is in the British seas, as several acts of parliament, of the reign of William and Mary, regulated the A. fisheries. It occurs on the coasts of the Baltic and of Greenland, and abounds in the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic coasts of Spain, Portugal, and France, where extensive and very productive fisheries are carried on, par ticularly in the months of May, June, and July, when the shoals of anchovies leave the deep seas, and approach the shores for the purpose of spawning. They are fished during
the night; and are attracted to the boats by fires. They are salted in small barrels, and are much used for sauces, etc. The Romans made from them a highly valued sauce called (q.v.) are often sold as anchovies.—The genus engraulis belongs to the clupcidai (q.v.) or herring family, and was formerly included in elupea, front which it is distinguished by the more deeply cleft mouth, the wider gill openings, and more numerous gill rays. All the species are small, and most of them tropical. E.. brownii abohnds in the strait of Malacca and at the mouths of the Ganges, and is used for making a delicious condiment called red fish in India.