1879. | The Breeding Habits of the Eel. si 
THE BREEDING HABITS OF THE EEL. 
BY A. S. PACKARD, JR. 
HERE is a considerable degree of mystery regarding the 
spawning time of the common eel (Anguilla bostoniensis), the 
place of spawning, and especially the differences between the 
male and female. The following facts appear to throw some light 
on the subject, and are published with the hope that it may stim- 
ulate others to observe with care and in detail all the facts 
regarding the spawning habits of a fish which is interesting as 
being the lowest bony fish, and is more and more used as an 
article of food, several eel-fishing establishments having been. 
lately started in this country. 
So far as we are aware, the eggs of the American eel were first 
discovered by Mr. John Mooney, of Providence, R. I., in October, 
1877. Mr. Mooney is an intelligent mechanic and a close observer, 
but entirely self-taught. He carried the eggs to Prof. John Pierce, 
of Providence, who assures me they were veritable eggs, and 
measured one-hundredth of an inch in diameter. 
Late in December, 1877, Mr. Vinal Edwards sent eight eels to 
the Museum at Cambridge. These were examined by Mr. F. W. 
Putnam, who reported upon them to the Boston Society of Natu- 
ral History.! He states that during the month of December eels 
were brought into New Bedford “ with eggs in various stages of 
development; where they spawn is. not yet known.” The speci- 
mens examined by Mr. Putnam “had the ovaries in various 
stages of development. In two the ovaries were very small, and 
the eggs in them exceedingly minute. From these the series 
showed a gradual increase in the size of the ovaries and the con- 
tained eggs, to the specimen exhibited, in which the eggs were still 
so small as only to be seen by a lens of considerable magnifying 
power, and not yet ready to be excluded, though the ovaries 
themselves were large and full.” 
During the month of November, 1878, I found several eels in 
spawn in the Providence market, and at my request, Mr. Mooney 
brought me two eels, one of which he pronounced to be a female 
and the other a male. The ovaries of the female were larger and 
fuller than in any other female I have examined, and the eggs © = 
riper. The eggs of this eel, which was about two feet in length © : 
judging by the portion secured from the fisherman by Mr. ` 
_ 1 Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 1878, Vol. 19, p. 279. 
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