Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-02-27
ABSURD BELIEFS ABOUT EELS,
Curious Theories of Their Origin as Well
as Their characteristics.

Curious Theories of Their Origin as Well
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 hermaphroditism 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 OF
fry distributed from the Dunbar hatch
cry for sea fish was 72,7S5,00O, Of which
64,675,O0O were plaice. The number OF
cod hatched was 2,760,OOO and of turbot
3,S0O,0 this being the first time Ito
the knowledge of the board) that the
eggs of the last named have been
hatched 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.
G. Williamson's elaborate paper on the
reproduction of the common eel. MIR.
Williamson gives very full account OF
tie reproductive organs, both as de-
served by himself in number of speci-
mems examined at st. Andrews, and
the paper includes cription of the
mlgrations of the eel I'D all that has
been asscertained about Its spawning
1t is 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 Aris-
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
re tional one. 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
ia this way expose them to the heat of
the sun; in few hours there will spring
from them an infinite quantity of eels."
In Sardinia the fishermen cling to the
belief that the so-called water beetle is
tho progenitor of the eel, and an Eng
lishman has written 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 ap-
pears to be very widespread that the
eel, like the lamprey, only spawns once
and then dies.-Pall Mall Gazette.