320 THE FAMILY OF EELS. 



was seen with its throat and neck much distended; but observing 

 that itself was closely watched, it endeavoured to get to a 

 distance, in doing which its efforts to retain or swallow its 

 prize appeared to have become relaxed, which an Eel seized 

 the advantage of and escaped from its jaws with great activity. 

 The bird immediately dived after it, and again brought the 

 captive to the surface; but experience had taught the lesson 

 that something further was needed before another attempt 

 should be made to gulp down the prey. Violent and repeated 

 pecks were made with the powerful bill along the length of 

 the fish; and then, supposing it to be sufficiently disabled, it 

 was taken up and held across the mouth as if to be swallowed. 

 So much liveliness remained, however, to shew that the fish 

 was not yet rendered sufficiently limp and helpless, and it was 

 again treated in the same way as before, with repeated pecks, 

 until it was reduced to a condition to prevent all further fear 

 of any effort to escape. 



As food among ourselves Eels have been valued differently 

 in different districts; for while in the west of England they 

 are little esteemed, and in Scotland are altogether rejected, in 

 London the sale is said to be at the value of 20,000 yearly, 

 and the numbers sold in Billingsgate in the same time are 

 little short of ten millions. Turner remarks in his "History 

 of the Anglo-Saxons," that in the fifth century, and we may 

 add, probably long before, when the agriculture of Britain was 

 the best that was known among civilized nations, a portion of 

 it consisted in appropriating the marshy grounds to the breeding 

 of Eels; and this practise continued at least through the middle 

 ages, having probably been learnt from the Romans while 

 settled in our island; for we have reason to believe that these 

 people were accustomed to procure these favourite delicacies 

 from their own marshes, and we do not find them mentioned 

 by Columella as being kept in their magnificent fishponds. 



Venerable Bede, who lived in the north of England, in his 

 "History of the Anglo-Saxon Church," mentions only two sorts 

 of fisheries for which Britain was famous, which were for 

 Salmon and Eels; and the value set on these last-named fish 

 at luxurious and noble tables may in some measure be judged 

 from an incident related of the magnificence of the famous 

 Archbishop Thomas a'Becket, who, when he travelled in France, 



