124 FISHING GOSSIP. 



most part marl, silt, or sand. If a few nice bits of 

 bog break the uniformity of the shore, just to keep 

 him warm and comfortable during the long winter 

 nights, it is all so much the better. I regret that 

 when I saw him last the camera had not been used 

 for taking subaqueous portraits, it would be so much 

 more agreeable to present the reader with a carte, 

 likeness than a verbal description. Photography 

 alone, indeed, could do justice to his imposing volume 

 and fine proportions. In its absence, however, it 

 must suffice to say that his back is of the dark olive 

 which distinguishes the whole of the race ; but that 

 the sides shade off through a pleasant azure grey into 

 a pure white on his abdominal regions. Popular 

 taste, for once just, and taking the hint from these 

 colours, has agreed to give him the name of the 

 " silver eeL" I need scarcely say his nose bears no 

 resemblance to a duck's bill, a feature which charac- 

 terises a different variety of the species. On the 

 contrary his physiognomy is prepossessing, and 

 wholly free from the sinister expression of the snig. 

 His size is generally greater than that of the river 

 kind, growing sometimes to 8 and 9 Ibs. But 

 these weights are exceptional, and not often at- 

 tained. From 3 to 5 Ibs. would give a more correct 

 approximation of his general weight. For his supe- 

 rior size and beauty he is doubtless indebted to the 

 localities in which he is found. There no dearth 



