298 American Fisheries Society 



result of studies of European biologists. Thanks to the 

 studies of Dr. Johannes Schmidt, of Copenhagen, we are now 

 in a fair way to learn the complete life history of both the 

 European and the American freshwater eels. Dr. Schmidt, 

 who has been the greatest authority on the eel during the past 

 15 years, has recently completed an extremely important and 

 interesting expedition all the way across the Atlantic Ocean 

 from Gibraltar to New York in an exploring vessel, having 

 in view the primary object of collecting specimens of fresh- 

 water eels. I cannot do better than quote from a letter that 

 I have received from Dr. Schmidt. It was written only a 

 short time ago and will, I believe, give you the very latest 

 ideas about the freshwater eel. It is as follows: 



I think I am now able, after so many years' work, to chart out the 

 spawning places of the European eel (Anguilla vulgaris). The great 

 center seems to be at about 27° N. and 60° W., a most surprising result 

 in my opinion. I have had enormous trouble through the occurrence of 

 larvse of Anguilla rostrata in the very same hauls as those of our 

 species, so much indeed that I wished I could send all the American eels 

 to the Pacific, but after all, we have the difficulties in order to overcome 

 them, and the fact seems to me to be so interesting that I enclose a 

 copy of the measurements of the anguilla larvae from one haul at a 

 station southwest of Bermuda. When you arrange the measures graphi- 

 cally you find the figure to the left, but if you count the number of 

 myomeres you will find the graph split up in two, showing that your 

 American eel must spawn before Anguilla vulgaris, and further that 

 the specimens of the latter nearly all belong to the 1920 fry except a few 

 measuring about 4 1/2 cm. in length and belonging to the 1919 fry, of 

 which there are still a few left in these waters. (I have many graphs 

 showing the same as that of which I send you a copy.) 



As far as I can see from my collections which I have not been able 

 to work up thoroughly on board this small ship, the American eel seems 

 to have its spawning places in a zone west and south of the European, 

 but overlapping. I hope the collections made by you will help clear up 

 this question. Unfortunately it is not easy to distinguish the two species 

 in their earliest larval stages, i. e., before the postnatal myomeres can 

 be counted with certainty, but I am sure I can do it down to a length of 

 15 mm. 



The larvas of both species appear to pass their first youth together, 

 but when they have reached a length of about 3 cm. they say good-bye, 

 the one species turning to the right, the other to the left ! 



When we are taking the facts shown by this cruise into considera- 

 tion, it is most astonishing to think of the almost complete "pureness*' 



