260 



The Common Eel 





caused by wind blowing along the surface of water. At this time 



they are from 3 to 4 inches long. The 

 migration continues for about a fortnight, 

 during which nothing seems too difficult 

 for them to surmount. If the rush of 

 water is too strong for them, they wriggle 

 up the side among the wet grass. On 

 one occasion a large stone had fallen out 

 of the side of a bye-wash and left a 

 large opening, which on examination 

 was found to contain a living mass of 

 eels. I put a pitcher underneath it, 

 stirred up the eels, and withdrew the 

 pitcher full of them, while many others 

 made good their escape. At this time 

 whitling, sea-trout, and brown trout 

 gorge themselves with the young elvers. 

 After the young fry pass up (Fig. 

 247) older eels from 6 to 30 inches 

 long continue during the whole summer 

 to advance higher up. I have proved 

 this on many occasions by shutting off 

 the water from mill-wheels and finding 

 eels wriggling below in great numbers. 

 They run most during the night. On 

 the ist of August last year I had occa- 

 sion to watch the water passing through 

 a sluice at Loch More. The force of 

 the water was so great that the eels 

 were unable to push through, and at 

 midnight the pool below the sluice was 

 a seething mass of eels of all sizes up 



to 30 inches long, but as soon as the sun appeared in the morning 

 none were to be seen, all having fallen back into the pools below. 



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