86 THE SECOND HEART OF THE EEL. 



Tliey are arranged in very pretty patternri, mucli re- 

 sembling the so-called herring-bone pattern in which 

 ornamental titles are sometimes placed. 



The eel also has, strange to say, a heart in his tail. 

 If it is desired to ascertain this fact it is only necessary 

 to observe, that eels which are so frequently sold in the 

 streets are covered with sand. When the eel becomes 

 faint and exhausted he will begin to play up the lymphatic 

 heart in his tail, the pulsations of which can be seen. 



THE MUR/ENA. 



Malacopteri. Muriznidez. 



Belonging to the eel family is one of the rarest visitors 

 to om' shores ; only one specimen is knoT^n to have been 

 taken in Britain. This is the Murasna, common in 

 almost every x)art of the Mediterranean. The ordinary 

 length is between three and four feet ; it is strong and 

 difficult to capture, being fished for with lines. The 



MUR.ENA {Muroiia helena). 



.flesh is said to be delicately white and of very good 

 flavom-. It is exceedingly voracious, bites severely, and 

 can live a long time out of water. 



In 1809 I received a fine specimen of the muraena. 

 At first sight it appears much more like an elongated 

 lizard than a fish. Its colour is by no roeans fish-like, 



