178 EELS. 



C. U. Ekstrom says, "I have never found roe in the body of the Eel, but I nevertheless 

 believe that it is through the deposit of eggs that the fish propagates its species." There 

 can be little doubt that the belief in the viviparous nature of the Eel may be traced to the 

 fact of the presence of intestinal worms in the stomach and intestines. These worms, several 

 kinds of which are described by Diesing* as inhabiting the genus Anguilla, have been 

 ignorantly taken for young Eels. 



But although the oviparous nature of the Eel is established beyond a shadow of doubt, 

 and the anatomy of the fish clearly ascertained, still we have by no means all the information 

 we require on the general question. That Eels descend rivers to the sea for the sake of 

 depositing their spawn in the brackish water of estuaries where the increased temperature of 

 the water is favourable to their habits, f has been long known. Aristotle alludes to the fact, 

 and divers observers in modern times have recorded it. But do these Eels ever again ascend 

 the rivers, or do they remain in the sea and estuaries ? At what season of the year are the 

 eggs deposited? Is it ncccssa)y that Eels should descend to the sea for spawning, or do they 

 propagate their species in ponds and fresh water? 



Before I remark on these questions, I should state that there are two species of Eel 

 indigenous to the British Isles, viz., the Common Eel {Anguilla vulgaris), and the Blunt- 

 nosed {A. laiirostris). The Blunt-nose is widely distributed, but does not appear to be nearly 

 so abundant as the other species; it is probably the "Frog-mouthed Eel" "of the Severn 

 fishermen; it is described as being a fiercer and more voracious fish than the other species, 

 dashing at and seizing its prey as a terrier does a rat, and filthy in the extreme in the 

 nature of its food."| It seldom exceeds five pounds in weight. j\lr. Francis, whose name is 

 well known in connection with the new Art of Pisciculture, describes the Blunt-nose as "a 

 coarse worthless fish." Such is my own opinion. Surely it was Blunt-nose that fattened on 

 the body of Asteropeeus. 



"When roll'd between the banks, it lay the food 

 Of curling Eels and fishes of the flood." — IHaJ, xxi. 221. § 



According to an authority quoted by Mr. Cholmondeley Pennell in his work {The Angler 

 Naturalist), the Broad-nosed Eel does not migrate. The same writer states that the contractors 

 for the fishery of the Toome "expressly stipulate that they will not take a single Broad-nosed 

 Eel," but always throw them aside. 



With regard to the question whether the Eels that have descended to the sea from the 

 lakes and rivers return again, or whether they remain in the brackish estuaries, I cannot give 

 any decided opinion. Many persons have witnessed the ascent of countless thousands of 

 young Eels or elvers from the estuaries and the sea, and no one, I believe, has ever seen 

 adult Eels accompanying the elvers, or journeying by themselves. Yarrell says that the return 

 of adult Eels is shown by the habits and success of the basket-fishermen in rivers within the 

 tide way, who place the mouths of their Eel-pots up stream in autumn, and down stream in 

 the spring. The question must still be regarded as problematic. Another difficult matter to 

 determine is the time of the deposition of the ova. From some notes kindly put into my 

 hands by Mr. Jonathan Couch, some few years ago, it would appear that Eels breed almost 

 throughout the year. Young Eels of very small size have been found on the sea-beach of 

 Polperro, in Cornwall, so early in the year as the beginning of Januar)^ Early in March 



* Systema Helmtnthum, ii. p. 389. 



f "The mixed water is shown by experiment to maintain a temperature two degrees higher than the pure sea or 

 fresh water, from the combination of the fluids of different densities." 

 J The Angler Naturalist, p. 398. 

 § See the Ingoldshy Legaids — "The Knight and the Lady," p. 478, ed. 1862. 



