CLASS V. PISCES: ORDER 3. TELEOSTEA. 
481 
THE SHARP-NOSED EEL. 
of eels has been a matter of dispute : Aristotle believed them to spring from mud ; at a later 
day they were supposed to be bred in turf; another idea was that the hair of the tails of stal- 
lions, deposited in water, would turn into eels. For a long period they were supposed to be 
viviparous, but they are now known to breed by means of eggs produced from roe, like most 
other fishes. 
Genus ANGUILLx4l : Anguilla, includes the Sharp-nosed Eel of Eubope, A. acutirostris : 
it is from one to four feet long, 
and weighs from one to twenty- 
five pounds. This species feed 
on frogs and fish, and are most 
active at night. They occasion- 
ally quit the water and glide 
over the meadows when moist- 
ened with dew, as well to change 
their position as to obtain food. The young grow to the length of a foot the first year. This 
is the common eel of Europe, and is found in most of the rivers of the milder parts ; its abundance 
in the rivers of England is astonishing : in the Thames eighteen hundred young ones have been 
calculated to pass by a given point in a minute. The flesh is very savory, and extensively con- 
sumed. 
Another European species is the Broad-nosed Eel, A. latirostris, which is nearly as common 
as the preceding, but seldom weighs over five pounds. The Snig, A. mediorostris, resembles the 
common eels, but is less abundant. Found throughout Europe. 
The Common New York Eel, A. tenuirostris, is one to two feet long, and seems to be the 
American representative of the sharp-nosed eel of Europe. It is greenish-olive above, yellow 
beneath. It is very savory and abundant, being caught in our bays and creeks at all seasons 
of the year. In spring it is taken in large willow-baskets, called eel-pots, and by torch-light in 
the evening with spears. In the winter it is speared through holes broken in the ice, being 
at this time in a torpid state. It is very voracious, feeding on water-insects, small insects, 
and any kind of animal matter. It often moves from one creek to another by crawling over 
the land. The Silver Eel is thought by De I^ay to be only a variety of this ; the Common Eel 
of Massachusetts and New England is also probably of this species. 
The Beaked Eel, A. rostrata, is eighteen to twenty-four inches long, and found in the waters 
of Western New York. 
The Sea-Eel, A. oceanica, is from two to five feet long; has very thick and fleshy lips; re- 
sembles the conger eel ; found on our coast. 
The Bull-Head Eel, .4. macrocep/^afe, has the head large, the eyes large and prominent; 
above it is olive-yellow, beneath white ; found in Saratoga Lake. The Boston Eel, A. Bos- 
toniensis, is two feet long, and found on the northern coast. 
Genus CONGER: Conger, includes the Conger Eel, C. vulgaris: it varies in length from 
three to ten feet, and in weight 
from five to one hundred and 
thirty pounds. It is a most vo- 
racious fish, feeding often on the 
young of its own species ; from 
the stomach of one that weighed 
twenty-five pounds, Mr. Yarrell 
took three dabs and a young 
conger three feet long. The 
flesh is not in much estimation. 
Common in the European waters ; 
TUE CONGER EEL. 
hut being sold cheap, is largely used by the poorer classes 
abundant on the British and French coasts. 
The American Conger Eel, C. occidentalism resembles the preceding, but is said to have 
some diff'erence of construction in the teeth 
Vol. IL— 61 
It is found on our coasts, and is sometimes seen in 
