86 THE SECOND HEART OF THE EEL. 



They are arranged in very pretty patterns, much re- 

 sembling the so-called herriug-bone pattern in which 

 ornamental titles are sometimes placed. 



The eel also has, strange to say, a heart in his tail. 

 If it is desired to ascertain this fact it is only necessary 

 to observe, that eels which are so frequently sold in the 

 streets are covered with sand. When the eel becomes 

 faint and exhausted he will begin to play up the lymphatic 

 heart in his tail, the pulsations of v/hich can be seen. 



THE MUR/ENA. 



Malacopteri. Muranides. 



Belonging to the eel family is one of the rarest visitors 

 to om^ shores ; only one specimen is known to have been 

 taken in Britain. This is the Mursena, common in 

 almost every part of the Mediterranean. The ordinary 

 length is between three and four feet ; it is strong and 

 difficult to capture, being fished for with lines. The 



MUE^NA [Mxirccna helcna). 



flesh is said to be delicately white and of very good 

 flavom*. It is exceedingly voracious, bites severely, and 

 can live a long time out of water. 



In 1869 I received a fine specmien of the murasna. 

 At first sight it appears much more like an elongated 

 lizard than a fish. Its colour is by no means fish-like, 



