Chap. 5. 



FISHES OF VERMONT. 



147 



THE EEL-POUT. 



THE COMMON EEL. 



the orbit 1 .2 ; vent 1 inch nearer the snout 

 than to the extremity of the tall. 



Rays, B. 7, V. 6, P. 20, D. 10—74, A. 

 68, C. 40. 



History. — This fisii, which is quite 

 common in lake Chainplain and its tribu- 

 taries, 1 have referred to l^e Sueur's spe- 

 cies the Ginhis /iioni/v^iis, a.s agreeing more 

 nearly with his description than with any 

 other to which 1 have access. There arc, 

 however, several differences between 

 them. In Le Sueur's species the jaws 

 are said to be equal ; in ours, the upper 

 jaw is uniformly longest ; — in his the lat- 

 eral line is said to be in the middle of the 

 body ; in ours, anterior to the vent, it is 

 much nearer the back than the belly. 

 Our fish bears considerable resemblance 

 to the Lnta brnsmiana described by Dr. 

 Storor in the Boston Journal of Natural 

 History, vol. IV, page 58. But it differs 

 from his description and figure in having 

 the upper jaw longest, in having the 

 snout more jiointed and less orbicular, 

 &c. Judging from the descriptions with- 

 out specimens for comparison, 1 should 

 say that our fish differs as much from cith- 

 er of the species referred to, as they differ 

 from each other, and that they either con- 

 stitute three distinct species, or arc all 

 varieties of the same s[)ecies. 



The Ling is held in very low estima- 

 tion as an article of food, the flesh being 

 tough and the flavor unpleasant. This 

 fish is one of the greatest gormandizers 

 found in our waters. If he can procure 

 food, he will not desist from eating so 

 long as there is room for another particle 

 in his capacious abdomen. He is frerjuent- 

 ly taken Vvith his abdomen so much dis- 

 tended with food as to give liim the ap- 

 pearance of the globe or toad-fish. The 

 smallest of the three before mo, when my 

 description was made, being IG inches 

 long, was so completely filled with the 

 fishes swallowed, that their tails were 

 plainly seen in its throat by looking into 

 its mouth. On opening it, I found no 

 less than 10 dace, L. piil'Jitihn:, all about 

 the same size, and none of them less than 

 4 inches long. Seven of these were en- 

 tire, and appeared as if just swallowed. 

 Upon the others, the digestive process 

 had commenced. 



THE EEL-POUT. 



Lota cmnprcssft. — Le Sueur. 

 Jour. Aoad. Nat. Sci., 1—84. Storor's Report, 104. 

 Description. — Color of the back and 

 sides yellowish brown, variegated with 

 darker brown spots; gill cover and snout 

 darkest ; abdomoii V\hitisli. Body in front 

 of tJic first dorsal cylindrical, beginning 



to be compressed at the sides, at the ex- 

 tremity of the pectorals, gradually becom- 

 ing more so towards tlie tail, so that the 

 caudal ra3's appear a membranous prolon- 

 gation of the body ; body covered with 

 minute scales, looking like cup-shaped 

 depressions ; lateral line straight, con- 

 spicuous. Head much compressed ; eyts 

 circular; nostrils double; a minute cir- 

 rus rifses from the back of each anterior 

 nostril, and from the tip of the chin ; up- 

 per jaw longest ; jaws and palate armed 

 with minute teeth. First dorsal lighter 

 than the body, situated the length of the 

 head l)ack of head, short ; second dorsal 

 long, reaching to the tail ; anal, the same 

 length as the dorsal; cauiial rounded; 

 most of the fins margined with black. 

 Length of the specimen 6 inches, liead 1. 

 Rays could not be counted on account of 

 the fleshy tc.Mture of the fin-membrane. 

 — Slorcr. 



History. — This fish is found in Con- 

 necticut river and its tributaries. Not 

 having obtained a specimen of it, I have 

 copied Dr. Storer's description. It was 

 first described by Le Sueur, from a speci- 

 men obtained at Northampton. 



Order IV.— M.ilacoptervgii — Apodes. 



Fishes of this order have long bodies, a 

 thick skin, and no ventral fins. 



MURiENIDiE, OR EEL FAMILY. 



GenusMuRvEna . — Litwrcv.s. 

 Gowric Ckaradcrs. — Body cylindrical, clmi- 

 gatcd, covered wifli a lliiok and smooth skin ; the 

 scales very small, Itibricated with copious mucous 

 secretion ; month vvith a row of toelh in eaeh jaw, 

 and a few on the anterior pari of the vomer ; pec- 

 toral fins close to a small branchial n[)ertiire ; no 

 ventral fins; dorsal fin, anal fin and caudal fin 

 united. 



THE COMMON EEL. 



Miiraui mdgaris. 



Miirciia anj;uilki, Lin. et. Pen. Anguilla aculiros- 



tria, Yarrell, ISiit. Fishes, [[—984. j1. viclgan'-: 



Trans. Lit. and Phi. Soc. K. Y., l-SUO. 



Description. — Specimen 31 inches in 



length ; from the tip of the snout to the 



base of the pectorals 3.G, to the vent 13.3, 



to the commencement of the anal 13.8 ; 



circumference just before the eyes 2.3, 



one and a half inch from the tip of the 



