Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/93

SMELT AND EEL Smelt,—Osmerus eperlanus (Fig. 39). Also known as the Sparling. This small species rarely attains a length of more than 12 inches, and 8 ounces in weight. It moves about in shoals, and is a voracious feeder. The scales are transparent, and the silver colour is relieved with olive-green along the back. The Smelt visits fresh water for spawning purposes early in the Spring, and there are a few land-locked waters where it appears to

do well all round the year. It is a valuable fish for food. It feeds upon other fishes, as well as shrimps, worms, and aquatic creatures of various kinds. The yellow eggs are shed promiscuously, and become attached to any objects with which they happen to come into contact. The eggs hatch in 7 to 21 days, and the young visit the sea for the first time when ready to look after themselves, paying their first return visit to fresh water the succeeding Spring. They commence to be egg-producers when about three years old. The word Smelt is apparently derived from the Anglo-Saxon Smeolt, meaning smooth and shining.

Eel.—Anguilla vulgaris (Fig. 40). This interesting species acts in an exactly reverse way to the Salmon, as 75