Conservation Commission. 255 



basin above referred to. The rudd is a beautiful fish for artificial 

 basins and aquaria. Individuals measuring a foot in length with 

 crimson fins fully developed are even more beautiful than the 

 gold fish, golden idle and golden tench. A picture of the fish is 

 found in Webster's Dictionary under the name of rudd. 



The Eel. 



The reproduction of the common eel was for many years a 

 mystery; but recent authors have elucidated the life history of 

 this well known animal, and the following references to the litera- 

 ture will be found useful. They are taken chiefly from Dr. 

 Tracey's " Annotated List of Fishes Known to Inhabit the Waters 

 of Rhode Island," in the 40th Annual Report of the Commis- 

 sioners of Inland Fisheries of Rhode Island, 1910, page 71. 



1864: Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila. 



1881: Goode, Bull. IT. S. Fish. Com., I, 71. 



1886 : Delarge, Compte Rendu., C.III, 690. 



1897: Mcintosh and Masterman, British Marine Food 

 Fishes, 434. 



1908 : Gill, Science, X. S., XXVIII, 845. 



1908: Tracey, Rep. R. I. Fish Com., 43. 



1909 : Ehrenbaum, Xordisches Plankton, 10, 380. 



1910: Tracey, Rep. R. I. Fish Com., 70. 



In his studies of male eels from Great South Bay, L. I., Dr. 

 John A. Ryder observed that the male is smaller than the female 

 of the same age; that it has very large eyes, a remarkably short 

 snout and other distinguishing characters. The section of gravid 

 eels would show the difference of the sexes very clearly. The chief 

 reason why the eggs have usually been overlooked by fishermen 

 is that the ovaries in which the small and delicate eggs lie contain 

 a mass of fatty cells deeply embedding them so that the whole 

 ovary, unless carefully examined under the microscope, appears 

 to consist only of fat. The male organs may be distinguished 

 readily by their color and their lobular form. 



One of the most interesting facts in the life history of the 

 American eel is the death of the adults soon after the close of the 

 spawning period. The swarms of eels migrating up our rivers 



