266 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



4. MALACOPTERYGII APODES (Footless soft fin). 



To this order belong the Eels (fig. 41 ) . They have no abdo- 

 minal fins, and are therefore called apodial, or footless ; 

 they very much resemble the serpent in their elongated 

 form ; they live chiefly in rivers and ponds, in the mud 



FIG. 41. THE EEL (Anguilla acutirostris). 



of which they obtain worms, &c., upon which they feed, 

 they have been known to leave the water at night and 

 travel for some distance in search of worms, frogs, &c. 

 These fish live a long time after they are removed from 

 the water, and are extremely tenacious of life ; their 

 skins are covered with such fine small scales that they 

 appear quite smooth, and are extremely slimy. The 

 Conger Eel is much thicker in proportion than the com- 

 mon Eel, and has a dorsal fin like a fringe all down the 

 back ; it grows to the weight of ninety or a hundred 

 pounds sometimes. Eels are often caught by thrusting 

 many-pronged spears (having the spears barbed) into 

 the mud, and the Eels are brought up sticking between 

 the prongs. The Electrical Eel (Gymnotus electricus) 

 belongs to this section ; it somewhat resembles a 

 large ordinary Eel four or five feet long, but has a 

 broad ventral fin running all along its lower part ; it is 

 famous for its power of giving electrical shocks when 

 touched, and seems to have the power of using this 

 influence at pleasure, but after giving a certain num- 

 ber of shocks its power becomes exhausted, and it has 

 to remain some time before it can again give out 

 shocks of any strength ; these shocks are sufficiently 



