200 Kbrsuaw, Migration of Eels in Victoria. [^ '^Feb^''^^' 



I was, however, more fortunate during a visit to the Hopkins 

 River on 17th December last, in response to a note from Mr. 

 James Evans, who stated that the eels were passing up both the 

 Hopkins and Black's River falls. 



The Hopkins Falls, which I visited first, are situated about 

 .two miles from Cudgee, and 12 or 13 miles by road from 

 Warrnambool. They are formed by a large outcrop of basalt, 

 which extends for a short distance above the falls, and forms 

 the bed of the river. They are, roughly, about 300 feet wide 

 and 30 feet high at the highest point. When the river is in 

 flood the water rushes over in one unbroken sheet ; but at the 

 time of my visit it was divided into three separate streams. 



Here I witnessed for the first time an eel-fare. Although 

 not climbing in such quantities as I had hoped to find them, 

 a large number of the eels could be seen about the foot of the 

 falls, and numbers of others were, no doubt, concealed among 

 the loose rocks and boulders scattered about in the stream. 

 A few were noticed on the north side, but the majority had 

 apparently selected the lowest and least difficult climb, close 

 to the south bank. Just on the outer edge of the falling 

 stream, where the rocks were kept constantly wet from the 

 spray, masses of these slimy creatures could be seen squirming 

 about deep down in the crevices between the boulders. There 

 were dozens of them, of all sizes, varying from four or five 

 inches to one foot in length. Numbers could be seen laboriously 

 struggling up and slipping down the vertical fissures, which 

 they seemed to prefer to the bare face of the rocks. Now and 

 again a small one would painfully work its way up to a horizontal 

 crack, along which it would slowly wriggle, and then start up 

 the face of the rock itself, only, in nearly every case, to fall 

 helplessly to the bottom again. Time after time they would 

 try, often using the tip of their snout to assist in levering them- 

 selves up, gaining a few inches, a foot, or even a couple of feet, 

 only to slip down again. It was almost painful to watch them, 

 and one would be inclined to conclude that they could never 

 succeed in reaching the top of the cliff. That they do so was 

 .proved by the fact that I saw one, about five inches in length, 

 climbing a rock in the stream above the falls. 



The manner in which they managed to adhere to the smooth, 

 wet rock was wonderful. They seemed to flatten themselves, 

 to some extent, against the surface, and, probably by suction, 

 were able to retain their position. When climbing vertical 

 surfaces they invariably formed the latter half of the body into 

 the S-shaped or curved form already mentioned, and shown 

 in the accompanying photographs. 



On two or three occasions a small one, while climbing up the 

 face of the rock, was seen to lose its hold and swing backwards, 



