THE EELS. 521 
already remarked, however, the average size of the last-mentioned, least 
. degenerate forms may be less than that of Leptocephalus ineguals. 
“The subsequent growth of the Conger is apparently very rapid. Jack- 
son, the manager of the Southport Aquarium, added to the collections a 
number of Congers weighing 2-3 lbs. (0.9-1.36 kilograms), which he 
assumed to be about a year old. Five years afterwards (in 1880) one of 
these specimens died, and was sent to Buckland. It measured 6 feet 5 inches 
(1,956 mm.) and weighed go lbs. (40.8 kilograms). 
Leptocephalus morrisii, the larva of the Conger, Leptocephalus conger. 
Nat size. Head and hind end enlarged. 
ee 
A more advanced larva supposed to be of the Conger. Nat. size. 
“In Aquaria the Conger is easily kept alive, but its ravenous hunger 
renders it a dangerous comrade to its fellow-captives. ‘We find these 
Congers,’ wrote’ Jackson, ‘are the most voracious creatures we keep ; they 
attack and devour even dogfish, and these of a size that-one would think 
beyond their powers of swallowing. We have quite given up the piked dog- 
fish with them, and even the topers must be big ones, or down they go. 
The only safe things are our big sturgeons, monk-fish, skate, and the huge 
turbot we have reared from the little ones (these latter continue to grow). 
