10 



(h' hl Fnairr i't ilc I' Ihilic is.'i'i . wlierc, ]>. TjS, js mciitioiicd l'ry ol' cels 

 7""" lf)iio- ;uul. |>. <iO, Iry ol' 1 centimeter. Strauge to pay tliis niistiike, 

 wliicli I tliink origitmlly arisos i'roin eonlonnilint;- (i — 7 ctni. \vit1i (i — 7 """. 

 lias not bceii corrected til! (juite lately by (hri.'^si and (J<ihni(lyiic(i(i in 

 »Boll. i/f'ir Arcadfmia (Hoaun de Srien.vp Naiiirfili in Calanio. — Fase. 

 S7. Morso 1804/, in wliifli \\e are iiil'oi-mcd tliat tlioii- explorat.ions at 

 Cnmacrliio as well as at l'isa and iu Sicilii lia.ve ]irovcd »clie non osi- 

 stono anguillinc di iiiontata di lunglie/za inferiore ai cinquc oentimetri«/-') 

 — Tliey liave consoijuently among the ascending ecls ln'en unable to 

 tind any under fi ctm., c. 2 inclies, in lengtli; onr eels tlien arc nearly 

 as small. — . Tlie Italian autbors no donlit are rigbt in tliis. and 

 \ve bope soon to get i'urtlier inl'ormation as lo tbeir oxplanation ol 

 tilis fa.ct, viz. tbat tbe cel bas pelagic eggs wliieb arc slied in tiic 

 sea. wbere tbe young ones undergo a m etamor pi losis (tlie larvæ are 

 Lrpliircjilidhis hirrirosliis) wbicb is not eoneluded till tlicy iiave grown 

 5 ctni. long. 



Tbe pelagic eggs and fry oi eols are not known bere in tbe nortb; on 

 thc otiier band tlie immigrating yonng eels ol' 2'/, — 2*/.^ incbes in longtb are 

 very common. Before tbey appear at tbe moutbs oi' our rivulets in spring, \ve 

 mav sometimes meet tbem in tbe deeper, nortlicrn parts of tlie Sound wliere, 

 personally, I bave once got oiie in a scraper, and wbence P. WiJlimisen, 

 tbe iisJiernian, bas got me some l'rom tbe stomacbs oi' tisbes. At lirst 

 wben ibcy arrive at tbe sbores tbey are witbout any iiigment in tbe skin, 

 jater on tbe jiignient appears, and alrcady in tbe course ol tbe lirst sum- 

 mer tbe y jook very mucb like tlie larger yellow eels. 



Tiie seruiil oiydiis ol tbe yellow eels are but very little developed; 

 tbe Irs/irh's jiarticularly are very small, tbougli tbe lormation ol tbe lolu's is 

 distiiict in tliose over 12 indies in lengtii. — Tbe orcorø are somewb at more 

 devek)iied, and Jnrolji/'ti description of the »sterile Weibchen« (loc. cit. \^. 4G) 

 is in tbe main very cbaraoteristic of tbem, wben be says tbat tbe ovaries 

 arc tbin bgaments, \vitbout any l'at, sliglitly i'olded up, not rarely transparent 

 like glass, and of thc same lengtb and breadth ••"•') as in the other eels (viz. tbe 

 .«ilver eels). But ]\v is quite wrong wben, iollowing the supposition of 



•) Aftcr tilis was wiitlcii I liavc .sccn in IMiftlicil. iles Dcntschen SeelisHicroiverpins« 

 No. 1. 1895, ji. 21, tliiit l»i-. Silii/ii lui.s iioticwl thc same citoih-ous, old stiitcinent 

 uf llic Icnijlli iil' llic yniiii.n' reis, 

 **) 'i'iic liveadlli of tlic dvarics in llic liltlc yclluw fcnialcs, un llic dIIkt liaiul. is cciii- 

 siili>ral)lv siiiallci- lliaii in tlic silvcr ccls. 



