The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-07-16
ABSURD BELIEFS ABOUT EELS.
Curious Theories of Their Origin as Well
as Their Chara ct eristics

In the midst of much dry-as-dust in
formation and many drier-than-dust
figures relating to the larval or post
laryal development of the brain of the
lesser sand eel, to hermaphrod!tism in
the cod, to the spawning period of the
armed bullhead and the vitality OF its
eggs, and to other topics OF a similarly
Aair-r2ising 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 1t
is stated that during 1894 and down to
July of last year the total number OF
fry distributed from the Dunbar hatch
cry for sea fish was 72,7S5, 900, of which
"a G75, 900 were place. The number OF
cod Matched was 2,760, 600 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 investl-
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 a 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 description of the
migrations of the eel and all that has
been asscertained about its spawning.
1t is a remarkable fact that the ripe
egg of the eel 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 II 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 .
rational 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 coy
cred with May dew and lay one upon
the other, the grassy sides inward, and
81 this WY expose them to the heat OF
the sun; in a few hours there will spring
from them an infinite quantity of cells"
In Sardinia the fishermen cling to the
belief that the so-called water beetle 10
tho progenitor of the eel. and an Eng
lishman has written a small book to
prove the same hypothesis. There can
be no reasonable doubt, however, that
this fish is OyiparOuS and spaWnS just
as other fish do. Plentiful though our
lack of knowledge is regarding in this
much We have learned, the notion APP
pears to be very widespread that the
eel, like the lamprey, only spawns once
and then dies.-Pall Mall Gazette.