ORDER IV. 



MALACOPTERYGII APODES. 



Family I. 

 MURAENIDAE. 



MuRAENA. Lin. 



Generic characters. Body cyli7idrical, elongated, covered 

 with a thick and smooth skin ; the scales very small ; lubricat- 

 ed with copious mucous secretion ; mouth loith a row of teeth 

 in each jaw, and a few on the anterior part of the vomer ; pec- 

 toral fins close to a small branchial aperture ; no ventral fins ; 

 dorsal fin, anal fin, and caudal fin united. 



M. Bostoniensis. Le Sueur. The common Eel of Massachu- 

 setts. 

 Journal Academy Nat. Sciences, vol. i. p. 81. 



This species which is the most common, or, I might say, 

 the only eel brought to Boston market, is distinguished by its 

 grayish brown color above ; and whitish, yellowish, or yellow- 

 ish white color beneath, with a reddish tinge about the tail, 

 which color also sometimes extends along the entire anal fin. 

 Le Sueur, in the " Journal of the Academy of Natural Scien- 

 ces,^^ observes, " that it is sometimes brought to market," al- 

 luding to the Boston market, " but is not much valued as an 

 article of food." He must have visited our market at a season 

 of the year, when the species is seldom taken, and collected 

 his information from an inexperienced fishmonger. It is taken 

 along our whole coast, as well as in the rivers and ponds of the 

 State. At some seasons, spring and winter, for instance, great 



