THE EEL. 71 



dewy grass, in search of slugs, worms, mice, etc., etc., 

 and it is not at all unlikely that they may, during such 

 rambles, stray away into other waters; but still, nobody 

 appears to have seen them under such circumstances. 

 The belief is indeed, almost universal, but we have never 

 yet seen, or heard of, a well-attested statement of the fact. 



There is, however, another, and a perfectly natural and 

 rational way of accounting for eels being found in im- 

 probable or unexpected situations; and as the fact on 

 which it is founded, can be verified by unexceptionable 

 witnesses, we do not hesitate to advance the opinion. 



In the month of July, in the year 1844, a party of 

 ladies and gentlemen residing at St. Omer, in the Pas-de- 

 Calais, took an evening stroll along the road towards 

 Calais, immediately after a short, sharp, summer shower. 

 When they reached the avenue beyond the gate of the 

 town, they were surprised to find the road under the 

 trees thickly studded with small frogs, about the size of 

 large garden spiders. Some were hopping about, splashed 

 and covered with wet dust; some were crushed under the 

 feet of the passengers, and more were dropping from the 

 thick foliage of the overhanging lime trees, yet wet with 

 the summer shower. These circumstances were witnessed 

 by numerous respectable persons, who, taking the locality 

 and other considerations into account, unanimously 

 adopted the opinion what other could they arrive at? 

 that these little animals had been drawn up into the 

 clouds from some neighbouring marais, and dropped 

 again amongst the trees and long grass, when it dis- 

 charged itself of its contents. Now, if frogs can be 

 transported in this way, why not eels also? Whoever 

 has noticed the tribes of little eels about two inches long, 

 and as thin as a knitting kneedle, which, at certain seasons 



