The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-06
BELIEFS ABOUT EELs.
Curious Theories 10 Explain Their
Origin-some Facts Discovered.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.

From the Pail Mall Gazette.
In the midst of much dry-as-dust infor-
nation and many drier-than-dust figures
relating to the larval or post-larval devel-
opment in the brain of the lesser sand
eel, to hermaphroditism in the cod to the
spawning period of the armed bullhead
and the vitality of its eggs and to other
topics of a similarly Embarrassing charac-
ter, the third part, recently issued, of the
thirteenth annual report of the fishery
board of Scotland contains papers on two
or three points of interest to others besides
biologists. F
In paper on the Matching and rearing
of food fishes, IT is stated that during 1891
and down to July of the present, year. the
total number of fry distributed from the
Dunbar hatchery for sea fish was ~, 7S5 900,
of which GA 900 were plaice The num-
Der of cod Matched was 100000, and of
turbot 3,S00000, 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 ana
larvae from off-shore spawning areas, on
the life histories and development Of the
food fishes, and on the long and valuable
series of physical Investigations ought TO
appeal to all who are concerned with the
maintenance of our supply of seafish.
More valuable as tending TO the elucida-
ton of a subject wrapped very much in
mystery is Mr.. II. c. WilliamsOn's elabo-
rate paper on the reproduction of the COM
mon eel. Mr.. Williamson gives very full
account of the reproductive organs, both
as described by other naturalsts and as
observed by himself in a number OF spec
linens examined at st. Andrews; and the
paper includes a description of the migra-
lions of the eel and all that has been
ascertained about its spawning
1t is remarkable fact that the ripe egg
of the eel has never yet been discovered
Some funny beliefs have been held at diff
ferent time as to the genesis of this very
slippery creature. Aristotle said 1t sprang
from what he called the "entrails. OF the
earth" Pliny the Elder said: They rub
themselves against the rocks, and their
serapings come to life" Gesner thought
the opinion as to their generation in the
putrid carcasSeS of dead horses was quite
a rational one. A German sage. forty years
ago, stated seriously that they owed their
existence to electrical phenomena. People
are still found in England who believe they
are "evOluted" horsehairs; and not long
ago one pretentious gentleman gave this
recipe for their manufacture: cut up two
turfs covered 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 a few hours there will
spring from them an infinite quantity of
cells"
In Sardinia the fishermen cling to the be-
lief that the so-called water beetel Is the
progenitor of the eel, and an EngIishman
has written a small book to prove the
same hypothesis. There can be no reason
able doubt, however, that this fish is
oviparous and spawns just as other fish
90 Plentiful though our lack of knowl--
we have learned. The notion appears to
be very widespread that. the eel, like the
lamprey, only spawns once and then dies.
u hear that the only man who had
any marked success at Billip's poker par
~ was Billips himself"
Yes; and we haven't figured out to a
csrtalnty whether it was his success or
the cards that mad the marks '--Indfana-