1 66 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 



that the eel feeds and grows actively in the 

 summer months only, and the zones are annual 

 rings formed during the summer, whilst the 

 narrow interspaces represent the growth of the 

 scale during the colder months." 



After a varying time, usually four to six 

 years in the males, and seven to eight in the 

 females, the yellow eels begin to change to 

 "silver eels." Their eyes grow larger, their 

 pectoral fins longer, and they become silvery- 

 white on the under-side of the body. This is 

 their breeding-dress, and they are putting it on 

 in preparation for the long journey back to the 

 sea. 



They have practically ceased to feed by this 

 time, and they make the journey down the 

 rivers in vast numbers, just as they came up. 

 But this time they travel by night, and then 

 only when it is quite dark ; bright moonlight, 

 or a flash of artificial light, will send them into 

 hiding at once. During this journey they are 

 caught in great numbers in traps and nets of 

 all kinds, for at this stage they are much valued 

 as food, though in Scotland, for instance, there 

 is a good deal of prejudice against them. 



Both the last chapter and the first in the 

 story of the eel's life remain obscure. No one 



