467 
Head long, rather pointed. Eye rather small, advanced. 
Teeth in bands in jaws, sxibequal, large patch on vomer. Lower 
jaw protrudes. Nostrils superior, well separated, front one 
with slight tube near end of snout. Gill opening rather small, 
partly below pectoral base. Body covered with very small, em¬ 
bedded linear scales, oblique, some at right angles to others. 
Dorsal inserted some distance from head. 
Omnivorous voracious fishes, feeding mostly in the mud or 
along the bottom. Female larger than male, paler, with smaller 
eyes and higher fins. Female supposed to die after once spawn¬ 
ing in the sea. Eels travel overland in wet grass at night, 
often passing obstructions in this way. 
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