ORDER I. APODES. COMMON EEL. 25? 



ORDER I. APODES. 



THE principal distinctive character of this order is, that 

 the fishes belonging to it have no ventral fins. It com- 

 prises eight genera, some of which are neither very re- 

 markable nor interesting. 



THE COMMON EEL. 



This may be considered as among the most universal cf 

 all fishes. It frequents fresh waters, ponds, ditches, and 

 rivers ; where it sometimes reaches a very considerable size. 

 The head is smooth, the eyes are covered with a common 

 skin, there are ten rays in the membranes of the gills, and 

 the body is cylindrical and slimy. 



Many particulars in the natural history of the eel are 

 very singular, and in some respects it approaches the rep- 

 tile tribe. During the night it frequently quits the water 

 to wander in meadow grounds, in quest of snails or frogs ; 

 and in winter it buries itself deep in the mud, where it 

 lies in a state of torpidity, like the snake. 



There is scarcely any creature which has so much 

 puzzled naturalists to account for its generation. The 

 prevailing idea now, and perhaps the most just is, that 

 they propagate in the natural way ; though it is not clearly 

 ascertained whether they are oviparous or viviparous. The 

 latter seems most probable. 



The eel is extremely voracious, as well as destructive to 

 the young fry of fishes. No other fish is capable of living 

 so long out of the water, nor is any so tenacious of life. 

 Its parts will move a considerable time, after it is skinned 

 and cut to pieces. 



Eels vary much in their colour ; from a sooty hue to a 

 light-olive green. There are also some denominated silver 

 eels, with a clear white belly. A variety called grigs is 

 found in the Isis, near Oxford; which have a larger head, 

 a blunter nose, a thicker skin, and are less fat, than the 

 common sort. The flesh of such as inhabit clear running 



