434 THE EEL FAMILY. 



year which had migrated to the sea as soon as the yolk 

 had been absorbed, and had returned of the size indicated. 

 Cunningham 1 , from whose interesting criticism of Ehrenbaum, 

 Metzger and Hoek's remarks this note is taken, says, ' What is 

 to prevent the shad spawned in May from completing its 

 metamorphosis by the middle of August and reaching a length 

 of 1'68 to 7'8 cm. (= 3 in.)?' The herring, according to Meyer, is 

 8'4 cm. (3'3 io.) long 2 and upwards by the middle of November, 

 ' and yet Ehrenbaum maintains that specimens of the twaite- 

 shad, a larger fish when full grown, which are 8'0 to 12'4cm. 

 (= 3 to 5 in.) in November, are eighteen months old.' In the 

 table of Metzger and Hoek the young twaite-shad captured 

 between April and the 22nd June ranged from 7'2cm. (2'8 to 

 4'2 in.) to 12 cm. (4'75 in.), and Cunningham thinks those are 

 the young of the previous year, while those obtained between 

 Oct. 4th and November 24th, and ranging from 5'4cm. 

 (2125 in.) to 12cm. (4'75 in.), are from the spawning of the 

 same season, viz. the preceding spring. Those over 12cm. 

 captured during the latter months (Oct. and Nov.) " may 

 very possibly be in their second year." 



The Eel-Family. Muraenidae. 



THE EEL. (Anguilla vulgaris, Turt.) 



When the persistent efforts of generations of observers have 

 eventually been rewarded, as no doubt they will, by a solution 

 of the problem of the life-history of the eel and when the 

 facts are then made known, a complete history of the various 

 conjectures and hypotheses which have been hazarded, taken 

 in comparison with the correct data, will afford one of the most 

 fascinating chapters in the whole record of natural history. 

 Even at this stage in our knowledge many pages might be 

 filled with a mere enumeration of the superstitions by which 



1 J. M. B. Assoc. 189192, p. 261. 



- Compare with rate of growth of herring in British Waters, pp. 420 422. 



