436 THE EEL FAMILY. 



When we state that Jupiter, various fishes, slime, old skins 

 of water-snakes, and of eels, have all been saddled with 

 parental responsibility to the young eel we may well draw a 

 curtain over this superstitious speculation and turn to the 

 known facts. 



These have been recently collected together and summarised 

 in an interesting paper by Mr H. C. Williamson, M.A., B.Sc. of 

 this laboratory, and from his account we largely quote below. 



In the beginning of April, 1885, a young eel 3jin. long was 

 found in the sand near low water-mark at St Andrews differing 

 from those which ascend the lade by the greater translucency, 

 and another has since been found in the same region. The 

 blood was only faintly pinkish 1 . So far as known this is the 

 earliest condition of the eel before migrating into the adjoining 

 rivers and streams. 



The next stages of the eel, called 'elvers' in England, 

 'civelles' or 'montee' in France, form a delicate article of food 

 in both countries and are caught in great numbers in the 

 rivers and streams in spring and early summer. They are 

 transparent little eels of some 6 to 7 centimetres in length 

 (2'5 inch). In the elver, while there is yet no trace of sexual 

 organs, there are present all the essential characters of the adult 

 eel, viz. the swim-bladder, the projecting lower jaw, and the 

 dorsal fin commencing much nearer the middle of the body 

 than the pectorals. There is no pigment in the skin. In the 

 elvers examined at St Andrews the vertebral column, from the 

 presence in it of a large quantity of black pigment, shows itself 

 distinctly through the transparent body- wall as a dark line. 

 The eyes are large and very black. The nasal tubes are pro- 

 portionally larger than in the adult. The dorsal fin in the 

 elver commences a very little further forward than in larger 

 eels. 



The sexual organs only become visible at the superior part 

 of the abdominal cavity when the animal reaches the length of 

 20 cm. or thereby (7 inches). 



According to Robin, the civelles in the sea as in fresh water 

 lose their transparency when they arrive at the length of 6, 7, 

 1 Vide W. C. M. 3rd Ann. Rept. F. B.for Scotland, Appendix, p. 63. 



