MUR^ENID^E. 249 



belonging to Denmark. " The eels are dying away in enormous numbers without 

 suffering from any apparent disease. Many thousands of dead eels could be seen 

 a few days ago along the strand between Sandby Sletniis and Rosniis, only a few 

 miles distant from each other. Great quantities of eels forwarded as usual to the 

 German ports in the East Sea were discovered dead upon the arrival of the 

 transports at their destination, although when shipped they all appeared to be in a 

 fresh and healthy condition. The eel fishery, which is of considerable importance in 

 the fiords of Laaland, has therefore collapsed altogether this season. All the foreign 

 eel fishermen who have been in the habit of frequenting the island have returned 

 home. Nothing has as yet been ascertained which might throw any light upon 

 the cause of the death of the eels " (V. B., in Land and Water, July 15th, 1882). 

 An epidemic is reported to have attacked pike and eels in the river Barrow. The 

 latter fish were seen very lifeless for a day or so, and subsequently dead in 

 shoal water, the under part of the body, from the mouth to the tail, being 

 speckled with blood-red spots, and the mouth sometimes full of coagulated blood. 

 Numbers are killed and eaten by rats and polecats in the winter. They are very 

 much disturbed by electricity. In the winter they come to the surface for air, 

 and polecats have been observed to hunt for them. Mr. Bannister (Zoologist, 

 1846) observes, that " in tracing the foot-prints of the polecat, it will soon be 

 ascertained that he halts at every hole or opening he meets with in the ice, and 

 at once commences fishing, by introducing a forefoot into the water, and no doubt 

 groping all round under the ice as far as he can reach in search of such eels as 

 may have come to the aperture for air." 



Habitat. Generally distributed in Europe, except in the Arctic regions, the 

 Danube and its tributaries, the Black Sea, and the Caspian. 



In the Orkneys eels " are common in all our lochs, bums, and in the sea. They 

 are found in many of our lochs, especially where no other fish are, and even in those 

 whose efflux into the sea is over such precipices as to allow of no passage for any 

 living thing, which puzzles many of our country sages to account for their getting 

 there ; and indeed this is no easy task, if we do not consider the manners of the 

 eel : how difficult it is to be retained in the claws, or even the stomachs of birds 

 which prey upon it ; how tenacious of life it is, which makes it capable of being 

 carried a great way without being the worse ; and if dropped, its ability in this 

 case to seek out a proper habitation for itself " (Low). 



In Ireland it is abundant both in the fresh waters and around the coast. In 

 the north they commence taking them in large numbers about August. The 

 greatest number Thompson states he had heard of being captured at Toome in 

 one night was 70,000. Mr. Ogilby says that he has only detected the broad- 

 nosed form in the rivers of the Donemanagh district. The fry run up in June, 

 and are eaten by larger eels, trout, etc. 



As to the size which eels obtain, many of the largest recorded examples are 

 probably congers. August 17th, 1866, one netted the previous day in the River 

 Bure, Homing (? Norfolk), was 3 feet 8 inches long, and 10 inches in girth at 

 the thickest part, and 7f lb. weight (T. E. Gunn, Zool. 1866, p. 510). Mr. 

 Clarke Kenedy observed one from Downham 5 feet 8 inches long and 36 lb. 

 weight (Zool. 1868, p. 1061). The largest seen by Buckland weighed 10 lb., and 

 I have not personally observed any larger. 



The example figured is a female from Norfolk, 13-* inches in length. 



