114 EELS. 



20. Fishes of the tribe of Anguilliformes, have a long, slender 

 body, and the scales, as it were, incrusted in a thick, fat skin ; 

 Hie operculum is small, surrounded by the branchiostegous rays, 

 in form of a circle, which are enveloped in the skin, and open 

 very far back by a hole or sort of tube, an arrangement which 

 affords better protection to the gills, and enables these fishes to 

 remain sometime out of water without perishing. 



21. EELS, Murcena. are characterised by having pectoral 

 fins, and the openings of the gills beneath them. Those which 

 have the dorsal and caudal fins prolonged around the end of the 

 tail, so as to form a pointed caudal fin, are designated under the 

 name of EELS PROPERLY so CALLED, and are again subdivided into 

 COMMON EELS, and CONGER EELS, according as the dorsal fin 

 commences far from, or near to the pectoral fins. 



22. Common Eel*, Jlnyui/la, are too well known to require 

 description. Their colour varies acording to age, and, as it 

 appears, according to the quality of the water in which they dwell. 

 Those that inhabit limpid waters have a greenish back, striped 

 brown, and a white or silvery belly, while those that are caught 

 in the mud are ordinarily blackish brown above, and yellowish 

 beneath. Eels are very voracious and extremely agile; they 

 swim equally well backward and forward, and their skin is so 

 slippery that it is difficult to hold them. During a great part of 

 their life they inhabit fresh water, and frequent ponds and seas, 

 as well as rivers. By day, they almost always keep buried in 

 the mud or lie concealed in holes, they excavate near the shore. 

 These holes are sometimes very extensive, and lodge a great 

 number of eels; but, in general, their diameter is small, and they 

 open externally at both ends, which enables the animal to 

 escape more readily when threatened by danger. When the 

 season is very warm, and the stagnant waters of the pools 

 begin to putrify, the eels leave the bottom and conceal them- 

 selves in the herbage of the shore, or even cross the land in 

 search of a more favourable locality : they can, in fact, crawl on 

 the ground like serpents, and remain a considerable time in the 

 air without perishing. Ordinarily they make these singular 

 journeys during the night; and when it is extremely dry, they 

 bury themselves in the mud, and continue there until the water 

 returns. The length of time they can remain there without 

 perishing is surprising. These fishes have been known to remain 



20 What are the characters of the Anguilliformes? 

 1. How are Eels characterised ? 



22. What are the characters of common Eels ? What are their Habits * 

 Are they natives of salt or fresh water ? 



