86 BRITISH SPORTING FISHES. 
the “sharp” and “ broad” nosed varieties respec- 
tively. We have already had occasion to remark 
on the colours of fishes—their beauty, their variety, 
and, above all, the inherent power possessed by 
most of rapidly changing from one colour to 
another. In every case this is probably done 
for protective reasons, and no fish is such an 
adept at colour-transformation as the eel. There 
is every shade of colour, from silvery white to 
golden brown, and black; and it is noticed that 
these hues have direct relation to the haunt in 
which the fish happen to be. 
One of the great characteristics of eels is 
what is called their “eel-fare”—the passage of 
“elvers.” This passage is a most remarkable 
part in the fish’s economy, though it can hardly 
be said to be constant. In some rivers it takes 
place in spring, in others in summer, and always 
in enormous numbers. The eels that take passage 
up the rivers are about three inches in length, 
and it has been computed that nearly twenty 
thousand passed a given point in the space of a 
minute. Nearly all eels are nocturnal in their 
habits, though these tiny elvers travel only by 
day, resting during the night. Their move- 
ments vary in different rivers. Where the bed 
of the stream is rocky, and its current swift, they 
form themselves into a closely-compacted body, 
