Ghap. II. Of the EEL. 217 



oi May (dx June on the Banks of Ponds or Ri- 

 vers, which, in a few Days, are by the Sun's 

 Heat turned into Eels, In the Beginning of 

 July^ fome Parts of a River, not far from 

 Canterbury^ may be feen covered over with 

 young ii>/j, about the Thicknefs of a Straw, 

 all lying on the Top of the Water. The like is 

 reported of other Rivers, as particularly of the 

 Severn^ and of a Pond or Mere near Stafford- 

 Jhirey where, about a fet Time in Summer, 

 fuch fmall Eels abound fo much, that many of 

 the poorer Sort of People, that inhabit near it, 

 take them out with Sieves or Sheets, and make 

 a Kind of Eel-cake of them , and eat it as 

 Bread. Butdoubtlefs thefe are all bred byGene- 

 ration, as well as otherAnimals of every Kind. 



We are told that thofe Eels which are bred 

 in Rivers that communicate with the Sea, ne- 

 ver return to the frefh Waters when they have 

 once tailed the fait ; which is the more pro- 

 bable, becaufe powdered Beef is a moft ex- 

 cellent Bait to catch an EeL 



It is granted that Eels^ during the fix cold 

 Months of the Year, move not up and down, 

 either in Rivers or Pools, but get into the fofc 

 Earth or Mud, and there many of them toge- 

 ther bed themfelves, and live without feeding 

 upon any Thing. In extreme cold Weather, 

 they have beeen known to get out of the Water 

 into a Stack of Hay in a Meadow upon dry 

 Ground, and there bed themfelves, till the 

 Froft killed them. And as the Eel is impa- 

 tient of Cold, fo it hath been obferved^ that in 

 L warm 



