Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-14
ABSURD BELIEFS ABOUT EELS.
Curious Theories of Their Origin as Well
as Their Characteristics

as Their CHARACTERISTICS
In the midst of much dry as-dust in
formation and many drier-than- dust
figures relating to the larval or post
larval development of the brain of the
lesser sand eel, to hermaphrod in
the cod. to the spawning period of the
armed bullhead and the vitality Of its
eggs, and to other topics of similarly
hair-raising character, the third part,
recently issued, of the thirteenth an
nual report of the fishery board for
Scotland contains papers on two or
three points of interest to others be-
sides biologists. In a paper on the
Matching and rearing of food fishes it
is stated that during 1894 and down to
July of last year the total number or
fry distributed from the Dunbar hatch
cry for sea fish was 72,7S5.0 900, OF which
"a ,675, 900 were plaice. The number OF
cod Matched was 2,760,0 900 and of turbot
100000, this being the first time Ito
the knowledge of the board) that the
eggs of the last named have been
Matched at any hatchery.
The papers on the influence Of marine
currents in transporting floating eggs
and larvae from off-shore spawning
areas on the life histories and develop
ment of the food fishes and on the long
and valuable series of physical investi-
cations ought to appeal to all who are
concerned with the maintenance Of our
supply of sea fish. More valuable as
tending to the elucidation of subject
wrapped very much in mystery is H.
c. Williamson's elaborate paper on the
reproduction of the common eel. Mr..
Williamson gives very full account Of
the reproductive organs, both as de-
scribed by other naturalists and as OBJ
served by himself in a number of speci-
mems examined at st. Andrews, and
the paper includes a description OF the
migrations of the eel and all that he's
been asscertained about its spawning.
1t is a remarkable fact that the ripe
egg Of the ee! has never yet been dis
covered. Some funny beliefs have been
held at different times as to the genesis
of this very slippery creature. Arts
totle said it sprang from what he called
the "entrails of the earth" Pliny the
elder said: ''They rub themselves
against the rocks and their scrapings
come to life" Gesner thought the opin-
ion as to their generation in the putrid
carcasses of dead horses was quite q
"a tional one. A German sage forty
years ago stated seriously that they
owed their existence to electrical phe-
ncmena. People are still in England
who believe they are "evoluted" horse
hairs; and not long ago one pretentious
gentleman gave this recipe for their
manufacture: Cut up two turfs COW
cred with May dew and lay one upon
the other. the grassy sides inward, and
In this way expose them to the heat OF
the sun; in few hours there will spring
from them an infinite quantity of cells"
In Sardinia the fishermen cling to the
the progenitor of the eel, and All Eng
lishman has written a small book TO
prove the same hypothesis. There can
be no reasonable doubt, however that
this fish is oviparous and spawns just
as other fish do. Plentiful though our
lack of knowledge is regarding in this
much We have learned, the notion an
pears to be very widespread that the
eel. like the lamprey, only spawns once
and then dies.-Pall Mall Gazette.