100 GIANT FISHES 



was more appreciated than it is to-day, and at a later date 

 dried fish were exported to Spain and Portugal, where they 

 were ground into powder and used for thickening and flavouring 

 soups. In 1879 a Conger was received in the London Market 

 which weighed 128 lb., and in the ' Illustrated London 

 News ' for September 17th, 1904, there was published a 

 photograph of one measuring 9 feet in length and weighing 

 160 lb. 



Congers are sought for by the sea angler, but, according to 

 one authority, they are annoying fish to hook, " for they do 

 not bite sharply, but generally nose the bait and take little 

 pulls at it for some time before they take it properly ". A 

 Conger weighing 84 lb. was caught on rod and line off 

 Dungeness in 1933. 



The name " Conger " is derived from the Latin conger or 

 congrus, meaning a sea-eel. 



MORAYS OR PAINTED EELS. 

 (Family Mur^nid^.) PL III d. 



Eels with a long, rounded or flattened body, covered with 

 a thick, leathery, scaleless skin. The mouth is wide, and 

 the jaws, which are usually narrow, are armed with strong 

 teeth, sometimes knife-like, sometimes crushing, which are also 

 present on the roof of the mouth. The gill-openings are small 

 and rounded. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are often 

 very indistinct, and may be entirely hidden under the 

 skin. There are no pectoral or pelvic fins. The coloration 

 of the various species differs enormously, some being uniformly 

 black, brown, green or yellow, others variously barred, spotted, 

 blotched or mottled with paler or darker. 



The largest species grows to a length of more than 10 feet, 

 and several others attain to at least 6 feet. 



About 120 species are known from tropical and subtropical 

 seas. The Indo-Pacific Moray (Thyrsoidea macrurus) from 

 the Indian and Pacific Oceans is probably the largest living 

 eel. The Common Moray or Murry (Murcena helena) is found 

 in the Mediterranean and adjacent parts of the Atlantic, and 

 is a very rare visitor to the British Isles. Other large forms 

 include the West Indian Moray (Channomurana vittata), the 



