EELS. 



275 



Eels, though buried in the mud, have been known 

 to perish ; and, crawling from their lurking holes 



.iFwr* 



SHARP-NOSED EEL. 



in the agonies of death, have been washed down 

 the stream to the tideway, and thrown upon the 

 beach." 



Much obscurity has rested upon the breeding 

 of the Eel ; but it is now ascertained that they 

 are oviparous like most other fishes, and that the 

 spawn is deposited in spring, either in lakes and 

 ponds, and the higher parts of rivers, or at the 

 mouths of the latter, where the salt water min- 

 gles with the fresh. In the earlier summer 

 months, thousands of little Eels are seen making 

 their way up the streams, for the most part about 

 three inches long. In the autumn there is 



