Aiiicricaii FisJtcrics Society 119 



received a letter from Ex-Govenior Siuith of Vermont, who 

 has a preserve in one of tlie provinces, stating to me that he 

 spent six montlis making a study of the eel with a microscope, 

 and that his conclnsions were the same as those of Dr. Gill. 



Mr. W. C. Thompson, Leadville, Colo. : Does the eel spawn 

 more than once ^ 



Dr. Gill: Xo, they die after spawning. 



Mr. W. E. Meehan, H'arrisl)urg, Pa. : Did T understand you 

 to say that eels died after spawning? 



Dr. Gill : Yes sir. 



Mr. Meehan : That is not in accordance with out experi- 

 ence. In the spring of the year in the Delaware river and in the 

 Susquehanna, there is a run of eels up the river of large size, that 

 is, nearly as large as the run of eels down the river in the fall. 

 The men take their nets which they use for catching eels and 

 will get ahout as many then as they do in the fall of the year. 



Mr. Atkins : It might he interesting to state some further 

 observations I have made on the ascent of the young eels, and 

 it appears to me that they are the most able climbers of all the 

 fishes I have ever known. I have found them frequently at 

 obstructed ])oints in rivers. I remember of the town of ^Yarren 

 in Maine in the river there, I Avas examining the dam and the 

 mills about it, and there was a large penstock leading to a saw- 

 mill, and I walked alongside it, and the water was in the en- 

 closure enclosed with wood — proliably twelve feet high — I walk- 

 ed alongside it and the water was oozing out of the cracks near 

 the top and oozing down the planks and Ijoards, and nund)ers of 

 young eels not more than four inches long, and probably not 

 more than three, were creeping u]) tliat perpendicular wall and 

 a great many of them were up higher than I could reach. So 

 I consider them the ablest climbers that we have of all fishes, 

 and it may easily l)e believed that all the eels in the fresh water 

 came from the sea just as Dr. Gill has said. 



Dr. Gill : I expected some dissenting remark, for I know 

 the tendency of mankind to cling to old opinions, but I can as- 

 sure you and Mr. Atkins that there must be some mistake in 



