in the Nahiral History of the common Ed. 273 



find no difficuUv in pronouncing, that the case spoken of 

 tarnishes no satUfactory evidenceof the fact it was mtended 



to establish. , . ,r 



I believe there i? no animal, if we except man himselt, 

 that is so uaiversallv disseminated over every climate and 

 conntrv in the globe as the common ccl. ■ In almost every 

 instance where fresh water either flows, or b permanently 

 stationary, the eel is an inhabitant ; and throughout every 

 part of our own country, not only every nver and brook, 

 but also evcrv j.iece of stationary water, from the largest 

 lakes down to many of our common wells, are round, m 

 the proper season, 'to abound with eels; and yet both the 

 place and ihe maimer of their p;-opagaiion stiU remain a 

 question in zoology. There are also many other tacts m 

 their history thai are very obscure, and it would be an m- 

 terestin<r addition to the researches oi' the British zoologist 

 to- havelhe whole satisfactorily cleared up. In turtherance 

 of this object, and to narrow the Held ot inquiry, 1 here 

 offer Mr. Editor, such facts as have fallen within niy own 

 observation, of the natural habitudes of the eel. 1 hey are 

 chieHv intended to induce sc.uic of your intelligent readers, 

 ^vhosL■ situation fur:-,.shes them with belter sources of in- 

 formation, to communicate what they can learn on the 



'"^^Mrall inland waters eels abound without number in 

 summer, but disappear m winter. This disappearance has 

 been variously accounted for, and it has been very generally 

 imacrined that a large proportion hibernate by bedding them- 

 selves in mud ; a notion which, f beheve, is uuite as vi- 

 sionary as the hibernation of swallows under water. Were 

 eels over in the habit of penetrating into mud, ihey would 

 naturally enough shelter themselvc. therein when exposed 

 to imminent danger, and no other mode of escape presented 

 itself: but I have seen very many instances ot muddy pools, 

 purposely and speedily drained ofl", where multitudes ot 

 eels crawled over th.e fmhf surface of the mud m all direc- 

 tions to escape, and wriho.at ever attempting to conceal 

 themselves bv penetrating into it. The full and clear eye of 

 the eel also furnishes evidence that Nature never intended 

 the animal to be buried under mud. , , , ', 



The disappearance of eels in rivers and brooks may be 

 well a'-counted for" bv their emigration to the sea. Ihis 

 emigration is called their running. It commences in au- 

 tumn, when immense quantities pass "down the streams. 

 Great numbers t;ikc the advantage ot descending with 

 floods but a lurize proportion p.lss dowuwardsin the niglit. 

 Vol. 34. No. \3S. October 18U9. ^ ^"° 



