184 NATURALISTS CABINET. 



Impatient of cold tenacious of life. 



baited hooks. In winter they bury themselves 

 deep in the niud, and, like the serpent tribe, re- 

 main in a state of torpor; and they are so impa- 

 tient of cold, as eagerly to take shelter in a vvhisp 

 of straw flung into a pond in severe weather. 

 This has sometimes been practised as a mode of 

 catching them. 



These fish are so tenacious of life, that their 

 parts will continue to move for a considerable 

 time after they are skinned and cut into pieces ; 

 and no other fish whatever will live so long out 

 of the water as these. Mr. Swallow having oc- 

 casion to go from Petersburgh to Moscow, where 

 eels are a great rarity, ordered same to carry as 

 a present: upon being taken out of the water, 

 they were thrown upon the ground to be frozen, 

 and soon appeared quite dead, and almost a piece 

 of ice : they were then packed in snow, and when 

 he arrived at Moscow, (which was four days 

 after,) the eels being put into cold water, and so 

 thawed, discovered gradually signs of life, and 

 soon perfectly recovered. 



Eels are best in season from May to July, but 

 may be caught with a line till September. When 

 the water is thick with rains, they may be fished 

 for during the whole day ; but the largest and 

 best are caught by night-lines. The baits are 

 wasp-grubs, or dew-worms, minnows, or gud- 

 geons. The most considerable fisheries in our 

 islands are supposed to be those on the river Ban 

 in Ireland. 



