158 BRITISH FRESHWATER FISHES 



going down to the sea recalls the parallel case of 

 the Salmon and Sea-trout ; the increased size of the 

 eye is no doubt preparatory to life in the deep sea, 

 whilst the larger size and altered shape of the 

 pectoral fins may be connected with the long journey 

 to be taken. 



During the migration the Silver Eels are easily 

 captured by Eel-traps, nets, etc., in the rivers and 

 estuaries ; according to Thompson, the fishing on the 

 Bann, which flows out of Lough Neagh, used to 

 begin in August, and as many as 70,000 Eels were 

 taken in one night in sugar-loaf-shaped nets placed 

 between the weirs. A run of Eels takes place only 

 on a dark night and can be stopped by bonfires or 

 torches. 



Our knowledge of the life of the Silver Eels in the 

 sea is somewhat conjectural ; they have been observed 

 on one occasion swimming in numbers near the 

 surface, and have been taken from the stomachs of 

 Whales, Swordfish, etc. In the Baltic, where they 

 have to travel some distance before reaching the 

 open waters of the North Sea, Eels have been 

 marked and recaptured ; one such had travelled 

 nearly 800 miles in 93 days. In the Straits of 

 Messina the whirlpools bring to the surface a number 

 of the inhabitants of the depths, and from November 

 to July these include Silver Eels with eyes larger, 

 colour darker, and sexual organs more developed 

 than in those captured when migrating. Ripe Eels, 

 nearly ready to spawn, are very seldom seen, and 

 when taken in fresh water or in shallow water near 

 the shore must be regarded as abnormal. Schmidt, 

 a Danish zoologist, to whom we are indebted for 

 the most recent and most complete account of the 



