Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-09-07
FISH AND OYSTER NOTES

All ViiCidi Ol IDe CnlCeQ States nSh
commission. in speaking of oddities
which may be observed in the habits of
scaled water-dwellers, recently said:
Few would believe it if told that there
are some fish that obtain a large por-
ton of their food by shooting it, but
this is the truth. One of these is the
toxote, fish in the rivers of Malaysia.
He is known as the archer, or splitting
fish. The toXote has a taste for winged
insects. When it sees an insect up
on an overhanging branch it approaches
as near as may be, fills its mouth with
water, and then, closing its gills, raises
its snout above the surface and shoots
a long thread of water at the insect.
The toxote rarely misses its aim, and
the game is washed off the leaf and
into the river. Another of the shoot
ing fish is the chelinous, which uses a
jet of salt water, but which is far less
expert than the toxote.''
The opening of the fishing season in
the Delaware recalls the fact that one
of the most famous fish in those waters,
the sturgeon, is rapidly disappearing.
This has given an opportunity to New
Jersey and Pennsylvania to provide
jointly fishing station for the reintro-
duction of this fish. Long before the
Revolution Trenton and vicinity was
famous as fishing center. Advertise
ments at the end of the colonial period
show that many of the local market
men, in addition to selling salted her
ring and shad, packed down sturgeon
in barrels. The sturgeon was sent to
New York and Philadelphia in the OK
team wagons of that time or sent to
nearby river points in shallops. Until
long after the Revolution the sturgeon
was not eaten by the better class of
people, except possibly on rare occa-
sions. The fish was the food of the
slaves and servants, while no one would
eat the roe now known as caviar. To-
day caviar is esteemed great delicacy
and commands a high price. In this
respect it resembles in the history of
its use the diamond back terrapin,
which in the colonial period in Maryland
was so common that the slaves peti-
toned their masters that they be fed
with salt pork rather than with ter
rapin.
NORFOLK HAS VAST WEALTH.
(N0rfoll< Carr I'm, rriy,as nss,oxxlN
Although Norfolk is widely known,
comparatively little is known of the
city as an important center of the fish
ing trade. Yet this port keeps in COM
mission all the year fleet of nearly
three hundred fishing boats.
Cottagers residing on the shores of
Hampton Roads can go few hundred
yards out from shore and in few mo-
ments, with the most simple equipment.
catch dozen varieties of edible fish.
Boys may often be seen pushing skiffs
around the mud flats of the harbor at
low tide, stopping here and there to
pick stranded crabs and oysters off the
harbor bottom, from which the water
has receded. If Norfolk were to be
placed in a state of siege without notice,
the besieger would find it first necessary
to effect the stupendous and well-nigl
impossible task of closing York anG
James rivers, Hampton Roads, Elizabeth
river, the Dismal Swamp, and Albe.
marie and Currituck Sounds to Norfolk
fishermen before he could hope to starv,
the city into submission.
In the open sea lurk the finest Of
deep water fish-the blue-fish ready t,
furnish the liveliest sport the fisherma,
can find
The Norfolk fishing fleet comprise
almost every kind Of small craft know,
in this country. The favorite style O
fishing boat is the ''bugeye. This car
ries two lego mutton sails on rakin,
masts and jibsail. The 'Tbugeye'' i
an exceptionally good boat for worl
around rivers and harbors, and wher