170 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
light olive green; and those which are called silver eels have 
their bellies white, and a remarkable clearness throughout. 
Besides these, there is another variety of this fish, known 
in the Thames by the name of grigs, and about Oxford by 
that of grigs or gluts. These are scarce ever seen near 
Oxford in the winter, but appeal' in spring, and bite readily 
at the bait, which common eels in that, neighbourhood will 
not. They have a larger head, a blunter nose, thicker skin, 
and less fat, than the common sort ; neither are they so 
much esteemed nor do they often exceed three or four 
pounds in weight. 
Common cels grow to a large size, sometimes so great as 
to weigh fifteen or twenty pounds, but that is extremely rare. 
As to instances brought by Dale and others, of these fish 
increasing to a superior magnitude, we have much reason 
to suspect them to have been congers, since the enormous 
fish they describe have all been taken at the mouth of the 
Thames or Medway. 
The eel is the most universal of fish, yet is scarce ever, 
found in the Danube, though it is very common in the lakes 
and rivers of Upper Austria. 
The Romans held this fish very cheap, probably from its 
likeness to a snake. 
“ For you is kept a sink-fed snake-like cel.” 
Juv. Sat. v. 
On the contrary, the luxurious Sybarites were so fond of 
these fish, as to exempt from every kind of tribute the per- 
sons who sold them. 
The Conger .Ee/growstoaniminensesize: they have been 
taken ten feel and a half long, and eighteen inches in cir- 
cumference in the thickest part. They differ from the com- 
mon eel not only in their size, but in being of a darker colour, 
anti in the form of the lower jaw, which is shorter than the 
upper. They are extremely voracious, and prey upon other 
fish, particularly upon crabs, when they have cast their shell. 
The fishermen are very fearful of the large congers, lest they 
should endanger their legs by clinging round them ; they 
therefore kill them as soon as possible by striking them on 
the navel. On the coast of Cornwall these fish constitute a 
considerable article of commerce, where they are salted and 
dried, and afterwards ground to powder which is purchased 
by the Spaniards for the purpose of thickening their soups. 
But the most extraordinary fish of this kind is the electri- 
cal eel. It is a fresh-water fish, found in the river of Suri* 
nam. It is said sometimes to grow to the length of twenty 
