CHAPTER XVI. 



THE EEL. 

 Anguilla Vvlgaris. 



" Saw you that snake, sir ?" 

 "No; 'twas an eel." 



THIS crooked subject of our discourse is a pest to the regular 

 angler. As an object of sport he is far beneath the contempt 

 of a regular game fisherman, and is only " taken" when he 

 cannot be " shaken" from the hook by all the arts of his unfor- 

 tunate possessor. They are not particular as to their meal. 

 The finest worm thrown for a trout will often bring his snake- 

 ship out. The best shrimp or crab bait in salt water is good 

 enough for him, and he seizes it with avidity as a creature of 

 taste. The truly patient Waltonian angler dispatches him 

 without complaint ; and if he happen to be of a goodly size, is 

 invited to partake of the hospitalities of his table. There are 

 seven or eight different descriptions, some of which grow to 

 quite a large size. (See page 217.) The eel belongs to no 

 particular place or clime. He is a cosmopolite, and is always 

 where water flows and mud grows. He is a warm-blooded 

 animal, and has been known to climb up trees and poles, but 

 not to get very near the north pole, the only exception to their 

 general distribution being in the more intensely cold latitudes. 

 Says Yarrell, one of the best English writers on the subject, 

 " Eels are in reality a valuable description of fish ; their flesh is 

 excellent for food ; the various species are hardy, tenacious of 

 life, and very easily preserved. They are in great esteem for 

 the table, and the consumption in our large cities is very consi- 

 derable. The London market is principally supplied from 

 Holland, by Dutch fishermen. There are two companies in 



