THE COX GEE EEL. 141 



of the year Eels frequently bury themselves in the mud, sometimes to the depth of a foot or more, 

 and on the banks of many rivers they are easily dug out when in this torpid condition. Eels 

 are highly excited and restless during electrical disturbances in the air. Yarrell states that 

 though absent from cold countries, they may remain on the ground till frozen, be buried in the snow 

 for days, and then recover perfectly when put back into water. The spawning has never been 

 observed. They sometimes attack other fishes, especially the Carp, and consume immense 

 quantities of spawn and fry, and when no other food is available will eat each other. Rats 

 and Snakes have been found in their stomachs. The vent includes four distinct openings, two of which 

 are for the discharge of the roe. The air-bladder tapers at each end, and has two short branches in 

 front. The lower process, like the posterior extremity of the air-bladder, is cellular, and the bladder 

 also contains several transverse partitions. In the tail there is a pulsating lymphatic heart, similar to 

 those which have been described in Frogs and other Amphibia. Examples of this Eel have been found 

 in the Nile, Palestine, Algiers, Madeira, in the Mediterranean, and in North America. 



THE BROAD-NOSED EEL* 



This species is even more widely distributed than the Sharp-nosed Eel, since it occurs throughout 

 Europe, in the West Indies, New Zealand, China, and the Nile. It presents many slight varieties, and 

 is characterised by the broad and fleshy lips and the comparatively wide head. This Eel is sometimes 

 called the Grig. It rarely weighs more than five pounds, but is thicker in proportion to the length 

 than the Sharp-nosed Eel, and is said to give a more greasy sensation to the hand. It has no peculiar 

 habits. These two species are the only European Eels. 



THE CONGER EEL.f 



The Conger Eel has no scales ; the mouth is wide, and the teeth are arranged in rows, one of 

 which is so closely packed as to form a sharp cutting edge. The vomerine teeth reach backward 

 nearly to the tip of the tongue. The biting power of the fish is extraordinary, for Yarrell mentions 

 that he has found in the stomach the finely-comminuted shells of Mollusca ; but they do not always 

 divide their prey, for in the stomach of a large fish a young Conger was found, three feet long, in 

 company with some Dabs. Congers grow to a large size, and may reach a length of ten feet and a 

 weight of a hundred and thirty pounds. The flesh is chiefly eaten by the poor, but when dried and 

 grated it is made into excellent soup. 



In Cornwall, where they are most abundant, the fish is usually taken on dark nights, on short or 

 long lines baited with the Pilchard. They often live among rocks ; those from such positions are 

 uniformly black, Avhile in sandy places they may be white or ash-coloured. Among the odd contents 

 of the stomach, Couch records Soles and Plaice, Skulpins and Weevers, Lobsters, Hake, Pilchards, 

 Herrings, and Cuttles. Their digestion is so rapid that when a hook is swallowed it is soon dissolved. 

 One of the most singular habits of the fish results from the prehensile power of the extremity of the 

 tail, which is capable of being used like a hand, for it has often been known to grasp the gunwale of a 

 boat with it and leap over into the sea. A habit no less remarkable is its power of rapid rotation about 

 its own axis, which has been exercised upon incautious thumbs and toes which fishermen have inserted 

 into its mouth. The fish is sensitive to cold and to east winds. It is met with between the shore and 

 a depth of fifty fathoms. The colour is usually pale brown above and dull white on the belly, with a 

 white lateral line. The dorsal fin begins opposite to the extremity of the pectoral fin. The skeleton 

 is distinguished from that of the common Eel by the longer transverse processes, which extend down 

 the tail, but in the genus Anguilla transverse processes are wanting in that position. It is found 

 round the coasts of Europe, in the Mediterranean, South America, Tasmania, East Indian Archipelago, 

 and Japan. It spawns in December or January. 



The fifth type of this family includes scaleless Eels of the genus Heteroconger, which have the tail 

 compressed, the snout short, the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper, and no pectoral fins. 



The sixth group has for its type the genus Mursenesox, in which the jaws have canine teeth. 

 The species are found in tropical seas, chiefly in the East and West Indies. The allied genus, 

 Nettastoma, is from the Mediterranean and Japan. 



* Anr/uiUa latirostris. t Conycr vutgaris. 



