THE COMMON OR FRESHWATER EEL 99 



pelagic larval stage, with the fact that the centre of production 

 of the American Eel is farther south and west than that of the 

 European species, accounts for the distribution of the two 

 forms. We can now understand the curious geographical 

 distribution of our Common Eel ; it inhabits those countries 

 on whose coasts the larvae, moving from the Western Atlantic 

 generally in the direction of the Gulf Stream, arrive at the time 

 when they are ready to change into elvers, and those farther 

 regions, e.g. the North Sea, Baltic and Eastern Mediterranean 

 areas, to which the elvers make their way. At the time of 

 writing Schmidt is in the Western Atlantic, where he has been 

 trying to capture the breeding eels, the only thing needed to 

 complete his investigation, except an explanation of the reason 

 why the Common Eel resorts to this particular area to breed. 

 This may be forthcoming when the depth at which it breeds 

 is known, and the temperature, salinity, etc., of the water at 

 that depth can be compared with those of other areas. 



Having given the above summary of the progress of 

 Schmidt's researches we may now give a short account of the 

 life history of the Common Eel. The strongly compressed, 

 transparent larvae live in the upper strata of the ocean, from 

 the surface down to 100 fathoms ; they are provided with 

 curious long needle-shaped teeth, which are presumably of 

 use in catching the minute pelagic animals on which they 

 probably feed ; they start life in the spring, in the Western 

 Atlantic S.E. of Bermuda, and the general resultant of their 

 movements is that the majority travel north-eastwards with 

 the Gulf Stream, at such a rate that in a little over two j^ears 

 they are in the neighbourhood of the coast of Europe, when 

 they have attained a length of about 3 inches ; these full-grown 

 larvae cease feeding, lose their teeth, and in the autumn undergo 

 a series of changes, involving a reduction both in depth and 

 length, ending up as cylindrical elvers about 2| inches long. 

 The elvers are small eels, with a new set of teeth, small and 

 conical, quite unlike the teeth of the larvae ; they make their 

 appearance on the coasts in the winter or spring, and numbers 

 of them enter the rivers, and may penetrate far inland. The 

 eels feed and grow in fresh water or on the coasts for some 

 years ; the males usually for from 5 to 7 years, during which 

 they attain a length of 12 to 18 inches ; the females usually 

 for a longer period, 7 to 12 years or more, outgrowing the males 

 and not infrequently reaching a length of 3 feet and a weight 

 of 4 or 5 lbs. These growing eels are yellowish or greenish in 

 colour ; they have small eyes, a blunt snout, thick lips and 

 pale, rounded pectoral fins. When the time comes for them 

 to seek their breeding place they cease feeding and change into 

 " silver eels " in which the body has a metallic sheen, the eyes 



