THE EEL. 55 



to the imputation, neither has any testimony been 

 produced in support of it. The smolts in salmon 

 rivers go down in myriads, the eel-fry ascend in 

 equal numbers. Nothing stops them, no obstacle 

 stays their course, they wriggle over the damp 

 stones, they cross the dewy meadows, they climb 

 the perpendicular sluice-gates, they ascend every 

 ditch and streamlet, they occupy every water, run- 

 ning or stagnant, and afford food not only to man, 

 but to numberless birds, beasts, and fishes. 



I know that it has been doubted, but I take it 

 as a recognised fact, that under no circumstances 

 do eels ever breed in fresh water. A given num- 

 ber of eels turned into a pond having no outlet 

 whatever, may, and probably will, decrease in num- 

 ber ; they will never increase. It is well known 

 that they occasionally quit the water at night, and 

 wander over the dewy grass in search of food or 

 suitable dwelling-places; and the instinct by which 

 they find their way to the water is as marvellous 

 and inexplicable as are all the operations of instinct 

 when judged by the light of reason. In Ireland 

 and Scotland eels abound, but are held in a sort of 

 superstitious horror by the natives. A Highlander 

 would as soon eat a snake as an eel, and can hardly 

 be persuaded to touch one for the purpose of ex- 

 tracting the hook. The Irish Celt spits at the 



