88 BRITISH ^PORTING FISHES. 



count for the different in number of young eels 

 on their upward migration, and of those which 

 return down -stream in the autumn. In some 

 places these baby eels are much sought after, and 

 are formed into cakes, which are eaten fried." 



Eels spawn like other fishes, though for a long 

 period the most remarkable theories were held 

 as to their birth. One of the old beliefs was that 

 they sprang from mud ; and a rival theory held 

 that young eels developed from fragments sepa- 

 rated from their parents' bodies by rubbing against 

 rocks. One old author not only declared that 

 they came from May-dew, but gave the follow- 

 ing receipt for producing them : " Cut up two 

 turfs covered with May-dew, and lay them one 

 upon the other, the grassy sides inwards, and 

 then expose them to the heat of the sun ; in a 

 few hours there will spring from them an infinite 

 quantity of eels." 



Four, or at most five species of Stickleback are 

 known to British naturalists. These are distin- 

 guished according to the number of spines which 

 they carry, and those mentioned above have 

 three, four, five, ten, and fifteen respectively. All 

 the sticklebacks are tiny fishes, though owing to 

 several characteristics they are remarkably interest- 

 ing. They have a marvellous power of conforming 

 to any and every environment, and are found in 



