31-1 
THE FAMILY OF EELS. 
to reacli at last some moss, the support of which they hastily 
made use of to secure success. It was amusing to observe 
that it would sometimes happen that a head would be thrust 
out into the current, where observation shewed that it ran by 
too strong to be encountered, and then it was withdrawn to 
seek a more favourable spot; while others venturing thus too 
far were washed down the current, and had the labour to go 
over again. On one occasion while watching this continued 
succession of Eels, a Flounder made two attempts to stem this 
downward current, but these efforts were without success. 
Similar to the extended notice of this migration that we have 
given is one by Mr. Arderon, in the Transactions of the Royal 
Society, vol. xliv, who saw them as they passed up the flood- 
gates of the water-works at Norwich, of the height of six feet, 
in order to reach the water above; and we close our account 
of this interesting subject of the influence of instinct with an 
extract bearing on the same, from J esse*s second series of 
“Gleanings in Natural History,” where, referring to the Thames, 
he says, “At the locks at Teddington and Hampton the young 
Eels have been seen to ascend the large posts of the flood- 
gates, in order to make their way when the gates have been 
shut longer than usual. Those which die stick to the posts; 
others, which get a little higher, meet with the same fate, 
until at last a sufEcient layer of them is formed to enable the 
rest to overcome the difiiculty of the passage. A curious instance 
of the means which young Eels will have recourse to in order 
to accomplish their migrations, is annually proved in the neigh- 
bourhood of Bristol. Near that city there is a large pond, 
immediately adjoining which is a stream. On the bank between 
these two waters a large tree grows, the branches of which 
hang into the pond. By means of these branches the young 
Eels climb up into the tree, and from thence let themselves 
drop into the stream below, thus migrating to far-distant waters, 
where they increase in size, and become useful and beneficial 
to man. A friend of mine, who was a casual witness of this 
circumstance, informed me that the tree appeared to be quite 
alive with those little animals. The rapid and unsteady motion 
of the boughs did not appear to impede their progress.” 
Mr. Thompson informs us, from Mr. Patterson’s work on 
Zoology for schools, that in Ireland fishermen have had the 
