234 A? ODES. 



remarked that the tenth of May was the day 

 of what the fishermen call eel fair ; but they 

 have been more irregular in their proceedings since 

 the interruption of the lock at Teddington. These 

 young eels are about two inches in length, and 

 they make their approach in one regular and un- 

 deviating column of about five inches in breadth, 

 and as thick together as it is possible for them to 

 be. As the procession generally lasts two or 

 three days, and as they appear to move at the rate 

 of nearly two miles and a half an hour, some idea 

 may be formed of their enormous number. The 

 line of march is almost universally confined to one 

 bank of the river, and not on both sides at the 

 same time ; but, from some instinctive or capri- 

 cious impulse, they will cross the river, and 

 change the side without any apparent reason for 

 doing so. 



When the column arrives at the entrance of a 

 tributary stream which empties itself into the riv- 

 er, a certain portion of the column will continue 

 to progress up the tributary stream, and the main 

 phalanx either cross the river to the opposite bank, 

 or will, after a stiff struggle to oppose the force of 

 the tributary branch in its emptying process, cross 

 the mouth of this estuary, and regain its original 

 line of march on the same side of the river. In 

 consequence of the young eels dispersing them- 



