38-t MURENID.E. 



and look into it, when they invariably rise to the surface, 

 sometimes for food, and at others merely to play with the 

 hand, or take the fingers into their mouths. About the 

 month of August they become very restless, and take every 

 opportunity of the pond overflowing from rain to get out ; 

 when sought for in the garden, on these occasions, they are 

 invariably found travelling eastwards (the direction of the 

 sea, which is about four miles from Craigo). Towards the 

 end of August, or beginning of September, they retire to 

 their winter retreat under the stones. Whether they breed 

 in this pond or not is uncertain ; but on clearing it out last 

 summer a few very small Eels were discovered, and how else 

 they could have found their way there is not easy to conjec- 

 ture, as there is a fine rose on the mouth of the pipe by 

 which the water enters. From their rapacity, shown in de- 

 vouring their companions, some Goldfish, it is possible 

 they may eat the greater part of their own small fry. Edin. 

 New. Phil. Journ.for April 1841, p. 439. 



" Most of the writers on the habits of the Eel have de- 

 scribed them as making two migrations in each year : one in 

 the autumn to the sea ; the other in. spring, or at the begin- 

 ning of summer, from the sea. The autumn migration is 

 performed by adult Eels, and is believed to be for the pur- 

 pose of depositing their spawn ; it is also said that these 

 parent fish never return up the rivers. The spring migration 

 is commonly supposed to be confined to very small Eels, 

 not more than three inches in length, and in reference to the 

 fry alone, it is too well known, and too often recorded, to be 

 matter of doubt. The passage of countless hundreds of 

 young Eels has been seen and described as occurring in the 

 Thames,* the Severn, the Parrett, the Dee, and the Ban. 



* See an excellent account by Dr. William Roots, of Kingston, published in 

 the second series of Gleanings in Natural History, by Edward Jesse, Esq. 

 p. -50. 



