$35 — 
XLVI. 
ACCOUNT OF A SINGULAR PROPERTY OF LAMPREY EELS. 
“BY JOSEPH TILDEN, Ese. _ 
Communicated in a letter to the Hon. John Davis, uu. D. 
— | | a 
Boston, Nov. 29, 1809. 
DEAR SIR, 
PERHAPS some account of a phenomena, which I have never 
seen described, may be worthy of attention; it must excite curiosity 
and may be productive of useful inquiry ; I mean the effect produced 
by human saliva on Lampreys, or Lampre-cels.* I will endeavour at 
your request to state to you the few observations I was able to make. 
In the neighbourhood of the falls at Machias, in the District of 
Maine, there are great numbers of these fish adhering to the rocks by 
means of the suction about their heads; they hold on with so much 
strength as to make it difficult to remove them by striking or throw- 
ing stones at them, but on spitting into the water they instantly spring 
out of it in the greatest agitation. 
It is surprising that as this fact has been long known to the peo- 
ple in the vicinity of Machias, it should not have become more pub- 
| lit. Ihave to regret that it was not in my power to satisfy some in- 
quiries, which must naturally be excited by such an extraordinary 
scene. The place which the Lampreys assume is under the falls, 
where the fresh joins the salt water; the season for them I understand 
isin May and June. At the time they were affected by the saliva 
they appeared to be in pain, starting sometimes to the number of 20 
or more several feet above the surface of the water in a horizontal po- 
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