MUR^ENID^E. 251 



Fish. p. 147 and Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1860, vi, p. 271 ; White, Catal. p. 114 ; 

 Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iv, p. 348, pi. cccxl. 



B. ix-x, D. 170, P. 16-19, D+A+C. 525-546. Vert. 154-164. 



Length of head 7 to 8, height of body 16 to 20 in the total length. 

 Body anteriorly rounded, becoming compressed in its posterior portion. Head 

 depressed. Mouth wide, the upper jaw very slightly the longer, its cleft 

 extending to below the middle of the orbit. The posterior nostril patent, the 

 anterior tubular. Teeth cardiform in the upper jaw, one regular row of teeth of 

 the same size and placed close together form a cutting edge : a short band on the 

 vomer : cardiform likewise in the lower jaw similar to those in the upper Fins 

 the dorsal commences above the last quarter or end of the pectoral : the anal in 

 the middle of the total length. Colours generally grayish, becoming lighter or 

 even white beneath. A row of white spots mark the openings from the lateral- 

 line. The margins of the vertical fins black. 



Varieties. In colour, the body may be dark and the vertical fins blackish or 

 with a black edge : or the whole fish may be uniformly black, due to the character 

 of the locality where it resides. Couch alludes to a rock on the coast of Cornwall 

 about five leagues from land, and rising up from a large plain of submerged sand. 

 The summit of this rock is full of gullies shaded with weeds, and congers caught 

 there are always black, while those taken close to its base are always white. 

 Occasionally these fish are spotted with white. " In 1876 a conger of about 201b. 

 weight, of a lead colour, approaching to white, was brought in from the deep sea 

 and placed in a large wicker basket close to land : in six weeks he was as black 

 as he possibly could be " (Dunn). In form. In some there is a deficiency of the 

 upper jaw or snout, while the dorsal fin is frequently deformed, the anterior 

 portion being often absent or malformed, sometimes only a few rays existing near 

 the tail. Occasionally the tail is found to end without any fin. 



Navies. Conger, Haaf-eel (and Easgann faragidh, Celtic) Moray Firth. Evil-eel, 

 Aberdeen (Sim). Cungyr or hunger, Mor Lysoioen and Cungyren, Welsh. Be Zee- 

 paling, Dutch. Congre commun, French. 



Habits. Prefers deep waters where the bottom is rocky, or sandy spots 

 surrounded by rocks which are covered by weeds. Is found from the borders 

 of the tide up to fifty fathoms or more, but it very rarely ascends into 

 fresh water ; and although it appears to frequent favourite localities, still it is 

 more common there at some times than it is at others. It is most active and 

 appears to principally feed at night-time, even the presence of a bright moon has 

 been known to interfere with the success of the fishing. It enters lobster pots to 

 secure the contents, and is very destructive to soles and plaice in Cornwall. When 

 in boats it feels about with its tail, and, if able, will lay hold of the gunwale with it, 

 and so lift itself overboard, and this is one reason why the fisherman at once knocks 

 it on the tail or over the vent when captured : it is by means of the tail that it 

 likewise makes its exit from a crab pot in which it has entered to devour the 

 contents ; it thrusts its flattened tail between the willow-rods of which it is 

 composed and thus pushes itself backward through the opening. It is sometimes 

 left stranded an hour or more by the tide, but this does not appear to occasion 

 any inconvenience, while it will even conceal itself under the sand, awaiting a 

 return of the tide. In the Moray Firth Gordon remarks that the fishermen 

 believe that this fish is fond of swimming after newly tarred boats. 



The conger is very sensible to atmospheric changes, and is inert during cold 

 weather, while prior to storms it is more than usually active. During severe 

 frosts conger have been seen floating down rivers half dead or " blown," this term 

 signifying the air-bladder being tightly distended. Near Cork, in 1841, many 

 died of cold ; others were readily captured where the water was from forty 

 to sixty feet deep and brackish. 



Pennant observes that congers and eels in general are particularly fond of 

 carcases of any kind, being frequently found lodged in such that are accidentally 

 taken up. In an aquarium it will even devour dog-fishes, swallowing its prey 

 head first ; while at Southport they could only keep sturgeons, angel-fishes, skate, 



