46 
Monpin1, at Bologna, in 1775, gave a very accurate description, 
accompanied by some excellent illustrations of the ovaries of 
this fish, as observed by himself, and which were published in 
1783. Almost simultaneously, or in 1780, O. F. Mtiuer printed 
a description of the ovaries of this fish, which, as he observed, 
are in the form of a frill-shaped band, extending along either 
side of the abdomen, reaching anteriorily to the fore part of 
the liver, and posteriorily to the vent, while imbedded in this 
frill-shaped band are numerous eggs. He likewise pointed out 
that there is no duct from these ovaries; consequently the ova 
must fall into the abdominal cavity before they are extruded. 
The following are the three forms which have been described 
as species:—(1) The “Grig” or “Glut-Hel,” Anguilla latirostris, 
of a light colour, having a broad head and snout, the dorsal fin 
commencing further back than in the next variety, the distance 
between its origin and that of the anal fin being less than the 
length of the head, while its dorsal fin is higher and its eyes 
- smaller than in the sharp-snouted form. (2) The “sharp- 
snouted Hel,” A. acutirostris, of a dark, even bronze colour. Its 
snout is sharp, its dorsal fin lower, and its eye larger than in 
the broad-snouted form. (3) There is also a well-marked, 
non-migratory, fierce and voracious form, generally very broad- 
snouted when large, which is not choice in its food, and the 
flavour, when in inland waters, is anything but satisfactory. 
These appear to be sterile females, which have taken up their 
abode in fresh waters, but as some have been observed migrating 
seawards at the annual breeding season, their sterility may 
only be temporary. Itis rather remarkable that so long ago. 
as 1740 Wixuiamson (“British Angler”) observed “he and she 
Kels may be distinguished by their fins.” 
But shortly afterwards a new difficulty occurred; the cele- 
brated naturalist the Abbé Spatuanzani, Royal Professor of 
Natural History in the University of Pavia, studied this question 
during the autumn of 1792, on Hels taken from the lagoons of 
the Po, near Commachio. He came to the conclusion that the 
ovaries which had been discovered and described by Monprn1 
were nothing more nor less than fatty folds. The erroneous 
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