Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/455

 EEL 447 spring or summer from the sea to the rivers. They are not found in arctic regions, nor in the rivers of the extreme north of Europe ; even in temperate regions, at the approach of winter, they bury themselves in the mud, remaining torpid until spring ; they remain without food, breathing hardly at all, at a low animal tem- perature, and almost motionless ; yet the irrita- bility of the muscular fibre is very great, as is shown by the restless motions of eels during thunderstorms, and by their well known move- ments after the skin has been removed. Though not possessing the respiratory pouches of the anabas, the eel is able to survive a long time out of water, simply because the gills remain moist from the small size of the branchial orifices ; by this means it traverses considerable distances on land, moving like a snake through the grass; this explains the appearance of eels in fish ponds from which the utmost care has been taken to exclude them, on account of their destruction of the spawn and young of more valuable fishes ; they have been often seen per- forming such overland journeys at night. Eels are found in fresh water which has no com- munication with the sea ; having a capacious air bladder, they are able to ascend rapidly to the surface, and sometimes swim very high in deep water ; though slow of growth, they attain a large size under favorable circumstances, hav- ing been caught in England weighing 27 Ibs. The town of Ely is said to have been so named from the rents having been formerly paid in eels, the lords of the manor being annually en- titled to more than 100,000; Elmore, on the Severn, was so called from the immense num- ber of these fish there taken ; so also Aalborg (Eel Town) in Denmark, &c. The conger eels differ from the genus anguilla in having the dorsal fin begin nearer the head, at or even in front of the pectoral, and in having the upper jaw the longer; the anterior nostrils open by short tubes close to the end of the snout, and the posterior in front of the large eyes; the teeth of the palate and vomer are slender, with chisel-shaped crowns, and closely arranged; the skin is naked and scaleless, and the tail elongated and pointed ; in other respects they resemble the common eel. The American con- ger (conger occidental, De Kay) is olive-broAvn Conger Eel (Conger occidentalis). above and whitish below ; the dorsal and anal fins are transparent, with a dark border ; the lateral line is distinct, with a series of white dots; it is from 3 to 5 ft. long, and either this or another species is found from the gulf of St. Lawrence southward as far as the coast of 285 VOL. vi. 29 New Jersey. The European conger (C. vul- garis, Cuv.) is common on the coast of Corn- wall, on the eastern rocky shores, and in banks off the coast of France ; it is caught on lines, the best bait being the sand launce (ammodytes) or the pilchard, and the fishing is performed at night ; great numbers are taken, and meet with a ready sale at a low price to the poorer classes, but it is not held in much estimation. Congers are very voracious, and specimens have been caught weighing 130 Ibs., more than 10 ft. long and 18 in. in circumference; they are very strong, bite sharply, and have great tenacity of life. As many as 156 vertebras have been found in the conger, about 40 more than are found in the eel ; they spawn in De- cember and January. Sir John Richardson alludes to nine species. The eel of the Mediter- ranean, so famous in the days of ancient Rome, belongs to the genus murcena, characterized by the absence of pectorals, smooth and scaleless skin, small lateral branchial orifice on each side, and the united dorsal and anal fins, low and fleshy, hardly distinguishable beyond the margin of the body ; the teeth are arranged in a single row around the edge of the nasal bone, with a few on the longitudinal median line. More than 20 species are described, attaining- the size of 4 or 5 ft. ; one (M. moringa, Cuv.) was found by Catesby at the Bahama islands.. The classic species of the Mediterranean (M. Helena, Linn.), the Roman murcena, grows to the length of 4 or 5 ft. ; the color is a pur- plish brown, marked with sub-angular yellow markings, and spotted with beautiful shades of yellow, purple, golden yellow, and white; the anterior nostrils open near the end of the snout, the posterior just above the eyes ; the cheeks are rather tumid from muscular development. It has been caught on the English coast, but it abounds in the Mediterranean ; great numbers were consumed by the ancient Romans, who kept them in ponds, and placed them alive on the table in crystal vessels, that the guests might admire their beautiful colors before they were cooked. Csesar is said to have distrib- uted 6,000 of these fishes among his friends on the celebration of one of his triumphs. They are very voracious, fierce, and tenacious of life, and are said sometimes to have been fed on the flesh of slaves who had offended their Roman masters. Their bite is much dreaded by the fishermen. The flesh is white, delicate, and much esteemed. There are many species, ex- clusively marine. The sand eel (ammodyte* American,, De Kay) has an elongated, slightly compressed body, large gill openings, a dorsal fin extending nearly the whole length of the back, and an anal fin of considerable size, both separated from the caudal ; the lower jaw the longer ; the color is yellowish or bluish brown above, mixed with silvery and light green ; the sides and abdomen are silvery ; the length is from 6 to 12 in. This species is found from the coast of Labrador to that of New York ; in the provinces it is largely used as