46 FISHES OF AUSTRALIA. 



The discussions in regard to the reproduction of Fresh- 

 water Eels, are by no means of recent origin, nor did they 

 originate in Australia. They date back to at least as earlv 

 as the time of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, and perhaps 

 long before that. Aristotle stated in his "History of 

 Animals" that Eels have no sexes, nor eggs, nor semen, and 

 that they rise from ges entera, the entrails of the sea. 

 Strange to say, this curious idea, with certain additional 

 legends and amplifications, was generally accepted by the 

 principal minds for nearly 2000 years after right up to 

 the middle ages so great was the veneration in which 

 Aristotle was held. "The Greek poets, following the usage 

 of their day, which was to attribute to Jupiter all children 

 whose paternity was doubtful, were accustomed to say that 

 Jupiter was also the progenitor of the Eel."* One very 

 common idea which has been handed down to us from the 

 "good old times," and which exists even at the present day 

 amongst uneducated people in many parts of Europe, is that 

 Eels are derived from black horsehairs ; and, even in parts 

 of England, there are people who believe that Eels may be 

 produced by steeping horsehair (that of a stallion for 

 choice) in water. Many other equally ridiculous ideas 

 might be mentioned, .but perhaps sufficient has been said 

 to show what perhaps we all know ; that is, that when Man 

 cannot at once fathom a mystery his fertile mind is always 

 equal to the task of finding some more-or-less plausible ex- 

 planation. All the wild, fantastic stories that were woven 

 round Owls and Bats originated from a want of knowledge 

 of their true habits and life-histories. The origin of the 

 horsehair idea is, no doubt, to be found in the frequent dis- 

 covery of the long, hair-like Nematode worms which exist 

 in fresh-water; and to people unacquainted with a know- 

 ledge of animals, there would appear to be nothing very re- 

 markable in the idea that these apparently "animated hairs" 

 should develop into Eels. 



In justice to the originators of all these stories, it must 

 be stated that the reproduction of Eels, has been quite a 

 mystery, even to naturalists, until the most recent times. 

 However, it is now known with certainty that Fresh-water 



* Jordan and Kvermann, quoting Jacoby. 



