a eee ei Rael a — ec, 
155 
The Larva of the Eel. 
By T. GIsss. 
Extracted from a Paper on “The Life History of the Eel,” read 
before the Society, March 22nd, 1895. 
LTHOUGH even now the history of the reproduc- 
tion and early life of the Eel has not been completely 
worked out, a great step forward has lately been made by two 
Italian Naturalists, Professor Grassi and Dr.: Calandruccio, 
by their indentification of a member of the curious group of 
larval fishes known as Leptocephali as the larva of the Com- 
mon Eel (Anguilla vulgaris.) 
For the information contained in the following brief account 
of recent discoveries on this subject, I am indebted to two 
valuable papers by Mr. J. T. Cunningham, M.A., contained 
in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association, viz : “On 
the Reproduction and Development of the Conger” (vol. II., 
p- 16) and “The Larva of the Eel” (vol. III., p. 278) and 
to these papers members wishing to pursue the subject further 
are referred. 
The Leptocephali are small, narrow, compressed fishes, 
devoid of scales, and having a very imperfect cartilaginous 
skeleton; they seem to be confined to salt water, being found 
both floating in the open sea, and on the sea bottom near the 
shore; their movements are slow and languid; they do not 
usually exceed 5 inches in length, though some attain a length 
of 10 or 12 inches. 
Only one species of the group has as yet been found in 
British seas, although it is practically certain that at least 
one other species will eventually be discovered. 
This sole known British species, which was also the first 
known species of the group, was discovered by a Mr. Morris 
near Holyhead in the year 1763, and was described by Pen- 
