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Part III. — Thirteenth Annual Report 



year he caught one 7 inches long in the pond. This shows that it had 

 grown 1 inch per month. According to Benecke, eels of 4 inches in 

 length, which in May are plentiful in fish-ponds, by the end of October 

 reach a length of 10 inches, and the thickness of a man's little finger; 

 iu the following fall they measure 20-24 inches, and in the third year 

 are ready to be eaten. 



Robin * discusses the question as to whether the civelle, or the adult 

 eel, is or is not the young of the conger, — a belief held at the present 

 time by certain fishermen. He shows that both the adult eel and the 

 elver differ very much from the conger and its larva (Leptocephalus 

 Morisii) in the skeletal structure of the tail. 



The time at which the montee (schools of elvers) appears, varies very 

 much in different countries, and even in different parts of the same 

 country. Robin says that, in the Landes, and no doubt other places in 

 the south, the ascent of the young fish takes place as early as the second 

 half of December, instead of in March as in the Channel. 1 f According 

 ' to French reports,' Benecke writes, ' the young eels in February, having 

 ' attained the length of 4-5 cm., appear in the brackish water at the 

 1 mouth of the Loire, in immense numbers soon to begin their wandering 

 ' up stream. Redi has recounted that from the end of January to the 

 1 end of April, the young eels continue wandering up the Arno. In the 

 ' lagoons of Comacchio they pour from February to April. Von Ehlers 

 ' noticed, at Drennhausen, on the Elbe, on a day towards the end of June 

 ' or beginning of July, young eels from 3-4 inches in length, the thickness 

 ' of the body was about that of a goosequill. All of them, even the 



* smallest, were dark coloured. According to Von Stenmann, every year, 

 ' from April to the end of June, there appear large masses of young eels, 

 1 which are present in large schools near the Upper Eider, seeking in 

 ' every way to pass each other. In Connecticut the young eels, 3-6 

 ' inches long, appear in the basin of the Still Water Falls in August.' 

 Day | says that the young eels pass up the Parret with the tides of March. 

 According to the fishermen, a few ascend in February and those by June 

 are about 3-4 inches long. Packard states that the young eels appear in 

 April and May. Much interesting information regarding the montee, in 

 connection with the civelle fishery on French rivers, is given by Vaillant. § 

 The following is an extract from his paper on 1 Observations relatifs a, la 



* Montee des Anguilles,' 'From the inquiries, conducted by the Com- 

 ' missaires de PInscription in their localities, by the order of the Minister 

 ' of Marine it was learned that the phenomenon of the montee is known 

 ' to the fishermen, and gives rise to an industry only in relatively few 

 ' places, twelve in number, all situated on our oceanic coast, generally 

 ' where there are important water-courses. As regards the times of com- 

 ' mencing and ending of the montee certain variations are observed 

 ' according to the locality. At Caen, Dinan, Saint Nazare, Nantes it 

 ' appeared in February ; at Maraus, Rochefort, Pauillac in January ; at 

 ' Bayonne in December. There is more regularity about its ending ; all 

 1 over the indication is, that it takes place in April, except at Nantes 

 ' and Rochefort, where the montee is prolonged more or less into May. 

 ' In countries north of France the termination is later ; according to the 

 ' statements of authors it takes place in May on the Thames ; at the end 

 4 of July in Ireland ; the end of June on the Elbe. Admitting these 

 ' dates, with certain reservations, one could conclude that the phenomenon 



* Robin. Loc. ciL 



t From article by Brown Goode. Loc. ext. 

 X Day, British Fishes, p. 244. 



§ Vaillant, " Observations relatifs a la Montee des Anguilles sur les cotes de 

 France," in Comptcs Rendus Ac. Sc. Paris, t. 109, No. 1, 1889. 



