Fresh-water Eels. 46.9 



It appears to be perfectly distinct from the Pleuronectes Lingula of 

 Pennant, which may be considered the Pleuronectes Linguatula and Pleu- 

 ronecte languette of Linn.,. Gmel., and La Cep^de, and differs also 

 from the Pleuronectes variegatus of Donovan. A short description of 

 Solea PegusavnW be found in the Histoire Naturelle des Poissons of M. La 

 Cepede, Vol. IV. p. 639; it appears to be a fish of the Mediterranean, 

 and according to M. Noel of Rouen has been taken in the environs of 

 Caen, but considered very rare. It is described shortly by Risso, under 

 the names of Sollo de rocco, Pleuronecte Pegouse and Pleuronectes 

 Pegusa in his Icthyologie de Nice, p. 308, and is also the Monochirus 

 Pegusa, Monochire Pegouse and Solla d'arga of the same author's His- 

 toire Naturelle des principales productions de 1' Europe Meridionals, 

 Tom. in. p. 258. 



The different writers on British Fishes agree in admitting but one 

 common species of fresh- water Eel, but from recent examinations I am 

 induced to believe there are two, independent of course of the species 

 our markets are largely supplied with from Holland, which appears to 

 be distinct from either. The difference between our two Eels is imme- 

 diately apparent when they are brought together for comparison, by the 

 very opposite characters of the head, the one being as remarkable for its 

 slender and attenuated form, as the other is robust and blunt. The 

 sharp-headed Eel, which I call it for distinction, appears to be the An- 

 guilla vulgaris of authors. In this species the head is angular, depressed, 

 eyes small, placed immediately over the angles of the mouth, irides yel- 

 low, both jaws narrow, acute, the lower jaw longest, nostrils with two 

 openings on each side, one tubular, the other a simple pore near the 

 eye, gill opening before and below the pectoral fin, the fin IJ inch from 

 the point of the nose, dorsal fin occupying f of the whole length of the 

 fish, lateral line straight, tail acute. In the second species the head is 

 rounded superiorly and flattened from the eyes forward, both jaws broad 

 and blunt, the lower one the widest, and longer than the upper, the eyes 

 large, placed rather before the gape, irides golden yellow, the gill open- 

 ings, pectoral fins, commencement of the dorsal fin and the vent placed 

 farther back than in the sharp-headed Eel, pectoral fins larger, tail broad. 



