398 



MUR.NID,E. 



of the pectoral fin, as two to thirteen ; to the commencement 

 of the dorsal fin, as one to three ; and to the commencement 

 of the anal fin, as ten to twenty-two. 



The Broad-nosed Eel has the head rounded at the back 

 part, and flattened from the eyes forward ; both jaws broad 

 and blunt ; the lower jaw the widest, and longer than the 

 upper : nostrils double, one tubular, the other a plain orifice ; 

 the gape large ; lips fleshy : teeth more numerous than in 

 either of the other British fresh-water species, larger, strong- 

 er, and forming a much broader band in each jaw : the eyes 

 large, placed before the line of the gape ; irides golden yel- 

 low : the gill-openings, pectoral fins, the commencement of 

 the dorsal fin, and the vent, placed farther back than in the 

 Sharp-nosed Eel ; dorsal and anal fins also much deeper and 

 thicker ; the tail broad and rounded ; the body of the fish 

 thicker for the same length than in other Eels : the number 

 ofvertebrse 115. 



The colour of the upper surface of the body is a dark- 

 greenish brown, subject to some variation, depending on lo- 

 cality, soil, and the quality of the water. 



