232 AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



that it produces its young alive, backing up their 

 statement by telling you that they often turn out 

 the young when skinning them ; and nothing in 

 the world will convince them that they are parasitic 

 worms. As to eel's spawning, they will not believe it. 



In May 1892 I was exhibiting a stuffed Lesser 

 Rorqual Whale in Norwich, and happening to pass 

 a fishmonger's, I saw him about to skin some large 

 eels. They had been taken a few miles out of the 

 city, and still retained the snoods and the hooks in 

 their mouths and gullets. I offered the man some 

 coppers if he would save for me the entrails, which 

 he did. Amongst those of one fine example I 

 detected what I considered to be a lobe of ova; 

 and on abrading it, and placing the jagged pieces 

 under a lens, it was easy enough to distinguish the 

 globules of spawn. I forwarded it to Mr. Southwell, 

 who placed some of it in spirit, and concurred in 

 my opinion. There, distinctly enough, were the 

 fragments of ova, looking like so many minute 

 bunches of yellowish grapes. 



That the Eel develops cannibalistic traits is 

 evidenced by the fact of an Eel, weighing J Ib. 

 and measuring about 18 inches in length, on being 

 opened disclosing two smaller brethren, each as 



