9 



IMany other antlior.« liavo montioned tlio male anrl female eels, but 

 none ol' tlieni, as far as I know, lias pointed out any otlier external di- 

 stinctive marks tlian tliose mentioned by Jacoby ; o£ these (with respect to 

 tlie yellow oels) I bavc on]y lieen ablc to uso thr size: I never found any 

 males larger tban c. 4S (tm. in totnl lengtii, wliilc tbe females can grow 

 niuih larger and ai'c, wlicn t'ull-grnwn, betwcen (),:') and 1 meter. As already 

 mentioned bet'ore tlie hrond head (not tbe broad front jlarge interorbital Space]) 

 witb tbe expanded jaws and tbe upturnod eyes is, moreover, obaracteristic 

 ol tbe large, yellow tbin females. 



As I bave said, tbe yellow males agree, externally. very elosely witb 

 tbe yellow females of tbe same size, so elosely tJiat it is quite impossible to 

 distinguisb between tbem witb eertainty, wben tbey are so young tbat we cannot 

 distinguisb between tbem by au examinatiouoftbeirsexual organs. Ontheotber 

 band. wben tbe eels bave reacbed a soraewbat considerable size, we need 

 only cut tbem open and witb naked eyes look at tbe sexual organs in 

 order to decide tbe question: male or female; but wben they are only 10 — 11 

 incbes tbis will ol'ten already be ditticnlt; a drop of spirit dropped in tbe 

 eel just as it is cut open will tben. as yet, fiHMjuently be uble to belp. but 

 witb smaller specimens tbis will be of no avail any more. Hy careful 

 microscopical investigations F. Tri/hom. bowever, bas been able to point 

 out nu(juestiona))lc eggs in eels of 207""" (c. 8 incbes) in lengtb. (»Fiskel 

 i Hallaud 1893, Bilag I«, p. 42). Under tbis size it must )ie looked upon 

 as impossible witb any eertainty to distinguisb between tbe male and tbe 

 female by means of eitber external or internal ebaraeters. 



At about tbis lengtb, e. 200""", tbe eels are getting tbeir seales, til! 

 tben tbey bave been naked. Tbe scales appear tirst near tbe lateral line; 

 tbey are ratber longisb and bave streaks sbowing later additions, wbieb in 

 nundiei' correspond prettv elosely perbaps to tbe years gone by; tbis, bow- 

 ever, needs furtber investigatiou. Already before tbe scales appear, tbe eels 

 bave tbe yellow eolour on tbe sides, and tbe scales, wbicb lie <leep in tbe 

 skin, do not cbange tbe appearance of tbe tisb very mucb. 



As it is well known fJie fnj of fhe eel occurs on our sbores wben very 

 young, but tbougb I bavc made careful researcbes I never was alile to find 

 fry smaller tban e. 2Vj incbes (c. G etm.) in lengtb; I must supin)se, aiid 

 bave done so long, tbat all former statements of eels as tbiu as »a string«, 

 »a darning needle«, etc. rest on a mistaken estimate. Wben JaroJni. loc. 

 cit. p. (il, mentions fry of eels in tlie Italian rivers only (i — S""" long, tliis 

 statement evidently arises from Cnslc: ~ ]'oifnf/r (l'cTploratioii stir Ir lilliinil 



