380 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



irregular. In the Bay of Fundy, Huntsman describes them as working inshore in 

 spring, moving out again into deeper water in October or early November, and as 

 absent from the estuaries from January to April. Their abundance in Penobscot 

 Bay in midsummer suggests that some of them perform a similar on and ofi'shore 

 migration there. However, this probably does not apply to the coast south of Cape 

 Elizabeth and certainly not to Massachusetts Bay, where as careful an observer as 

 Goode (et al., 1884) long ago described them as coming most often into shoal water 

 in winter. Probably the truth is that their presence or absence close inshore, in any 

 particular locality and season, depends not only on the local supply of food but on 

 temperature, for the upper 10 to 15 fathoms in the southern part of the Gulf as a 

 whole may well be too warm for them in summer, and estuaries particularly subject 

 to severe chilling too cold in winter. 



Hahits. — The eelpout is a ground fish, and judging from its habits in aquaria 

 probably spends most of its life hiding among weeds and stones. Being of no value 

 little attention would be paid to it did it not make a nuisance of itself by snarling 

 the trawl lines. It is almost incredible to what a hopeless tangle of cord, fish, and 

 slime a few "yowlers" can reduce many fathoms of line. 



Food." — The American eelpout feeds on shelled mollusks, both bivalve and 

 univalve, crustaceans large and small, echinoderms and other invertebrates, and 

 less often on fish. The Bay of Fundy fish opened by Clemens and Clemens (1921), 

 who give a considerable list, had dieted chiefly on the two common mussels, Mytilus 

 and Modiolaria, whelks (Buccinum), periwinkles (Littorina), scallops, sea urchins, 

 brittle stars, and barnacles, while various other bottom-living mollusks have been 

 found in them and also an occasional fish (smelt and others unrecognizable). Since 

 they bite fish (herring, etc.) as greedily as clam or cockle bait, and take fish readily 

 when kept in captivity, no doubt they eat fish when occasion offers, as their European 

 relative does. A large specimen caught in Massachusetts Bay, January, 1924, was 

 packed full of brittle stars (ophiurans) , spider crabs, and small sea scallops (Pecten 

 magellanicus) . 



Groivth. — Clemens and Clemens estimated the ages of Bay of Fundy eelpouts 

 from the annual rings on their otoliths, as follows: 



Age 



First year 



Second year . . 

 Third year... 

 Fourth year.. 



Fifth year 



Sixth year 



Seventh year 

 Eighth year- 

 Ninth year... 



Length in 

 inches 



1. 5 to 4 



4. 8 to 5. 9 



7 to 8.4 



8. 7 to 10. 5 



10. 2 to 12. 4 



12. 5 to 14 



13. 7 to 14 

 15 to 19 

 16. 4 to 20 



Age 



Tenth year. 



Eleventh year 



Twelfth year 



Thirteenth year.. 

 Fourteenth year. 

 Fifteenth year... 



Sixteenth year 



Seventeenth year 

 Nineteenth year. 



Length in 

 inches 



17. 4 to 21. 6 

 18. 2 to 22. 4 

 22. 6 to 22. 8 

 24 

 23.8 

 23.8 

 24 to 29 

 24. 6 to 27. 2 

 27 



Although these estimates are only tentative for the larger specimens, few of 

 which were examined, they show that this is a slow-growing but long-lived fish, 

 most of those caught being 5 to 10 vears old according to this schedule. 



" Willey and Hunstman (1921, p. 6) relate some observations on the habits and reactions of one kept in an aquarium at St. 

 Andrews. 



