ANCHOVY, the Clupea Encrasicolus of Linnaeus.
This fish is found in several pans, as in the river of Genoa in Catalonia, at Nice, Antibes, Saint Tropez, and other places in Provence. The most considerable fish ery is at Georgia or Gorgogna, a small island west of Leghorn. It is said by Mr Collins, that they are also found in plenty on the western coasts of England and Wales. Like the herring, they arc supposed to leave the deep recesses of the sea, and approach the shores in spring, in order to deposit their spawn. Anchovies are taken most commonly in the night, and always in May, June, or July, which are the three months of the year when they come from the ocean into the Mediter ranean to go to the Levant. When they fish for them in quantities, the fishermen light a fire upon an iron grate at the poop of the ship, and the little fish, follow ing the light, are then easier caught. Some remarka ble circumstances are said to attend this mode of catch ing them ; the fish thus taken are neither so good, so firm, nor will they keep so well, as those which are ob tained by the ordinary method.
When the fishing is over, they cut off' the heads of the fish, which have a particular tendency to pucrefac tion, take out their gills and guts, and range them in little barrels of different weights and sizes ; none being above five or six and twenty pounds : In these they put a quantity of salt sufficient to preserve them, which is all that is necessary in their preparation for the market.
Some again, preserve anchovies in small delft or earthen pots, made on purpose, and containing two or three pounds weight ; in this latter way they are kept in a state of higher preservation, as, from being sooner used, they are a shorter time exposed to the action of the atmosphere after the pots are opened.
The least fish, and latest pickled, are preferred ; if they are white without and red within, if they are firm and have round backs, they are good. Besides these qualities, the liquor, on opening the pots or barrels, should be of a good taste, and not deprived of its flavour. The roundness of the back is the distinction between them and the sardines, which is a much inferior fish. though frequently sold as the anchovy ; but, by getting them round and small, the imposition may be avoided, the sardines being tapered regularly from the shoulder to the tail, and being larger than the anchovy.
The common way of using this fish is to eat them raw with oil, vinegar, or such other condiments as various tastes may suggest, with the addition of bread and butter. They arc used in another way, as sauce for fish and some other animal food ; they are then boiled, bruised, and mixed with melted butter, in which situa tion they nearly dissolve from the action of the heat.
This fish afforded a luxury to the Greeks and Romans as well as to modern nations : they prepared from it a species of garum for their tables. Lemery says, "that anchovies contain a considerable quantity of oil, are aperitive, and proper to raise the appetite ; but that they serve more lor food than physic." The effect of a glare of light on fish is pretty gene rally known, and we think it highly probable that atten tion to this circumstance might be advantageous in the British fisheries: The Chinese generally employ this deception, and in order to produce it, they use, instead of fire, the reflected light of the moon. In this practice they take two long strait boats, and nail a board, about two feet broad, painted white and varnished, on the sides, from one end to the other. This plank slopes outward, and almost touches the surface of the water ; in order to gain their end, they turn towards the moon, that its light may increase the brightness of the board ; when the fish, mistaking the colour for that of the water, spring up to wards it, and either fall upon it or in the vessel, so that the fishermen with very little trouble soon fill their boat.
Another instance of fish attracted by light, may be found in Mr Adam Walker's System of Natural Philoso Phy, under his description of the Diving Bell : " As the diver," says he, " had plenty of air before, he thought a candle might be supported in the bell, and he could de scend by night. He made the experiment, and presently found himself surrounded with fish ; some very large, and many such as he had never seen before : They sport ed about the bell, and bit at his legs, hanging in the wa ter ; as this rather alarmed him, he made his bell be ta ken up, and the fish accompanied him to the surface." See ICHTHYOLOGY. (E)