The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-08
THE SECRET OF THE EELs.
The Old Problem solved at Last.
Prof. Gill Was Right.
IRON The New York Sun.

i rom the New I Ofk sun.
For hundreds of years naturalists have
been seeking in vain to find out how cells
are propagated. The eel problem worried
hundreds of generations, and now at last
the secret is out. 1t has been discovered
by two Italian biologists, Prof. Grassi and
his pupil, Signor Calandruccio. In order
to reach the source of this discovery we
must go back to 1863. At that time the
naturalist Pennant called attention to a
singular little fish that was then utterly
unknown, and which Is still found al sew
erai points in the Atlantic ocean, and es-
pecially in the Mediterranean sea It is
a little creature as transparent as glass.
with fiat body and very small fins. 1t
is almost entirely formed of a geatnous
tissue IL has no eyes and it's blood is
coloreless For long time IL was thought
that it was a species in Itself, but no
body knew where to place It in the family
Of creatures. In 1864 an American scientist.
Mr.. Gill, stated that these singular little
fishes were the larvae Of conger cells, and
in 1866 professor of the Sorbonne, NJ. Yves
Delage, confirmed the statement of Mr..
Gil and proved by experiments that the
little creature was a larVa. He put one
of them into an aquarium. where he wit
messed It's transformation into a young
conger eel.
Nov, the larvae In question are plenh-
full In Sicily, and particularly in the
Straits Of Messina. Prof Grassi procured
a number of them and kept them for q
long time In an aquarium. With Signor
Calandruccio he witnessed the metamor-
phorsis of these larvae. They all became
cells, some of them congers and others of
a different species. But there was one
particularly small species which attracted
their attention. They watched It closely,
and one day they found 1t transformed
into a common eel The greater portion
Of the larvae collected by Signors Crassi
and Calandruccio came from great depths,
800 meters at least. These larvae come
to the surface by accident when torn from
their retreats by the currents and the
commotions so frequent In the Straits OF
Meseiha. The conclusion. therefore, Is
that the production Of the cells Is brought
about very far from the surface Of the
sea. The larvae Of the eel Is about seven
or eight centimeters long. and the youna
eel, the result Of the transformation IS
always shorter.
I'VE are now therefore, I'm a position 20
explain the enigma that bafiied the world
from the time of Aristotle. Reversing
the habit Of the salmon, the eel comes
down from the rivers 10 reach the sea
from October until January. In the deep
water II undergoes important changes,
according to the specimens observed by
the two Italian scientists. It's eyes cspe-
clally acquire dimensions that they never
attain in fresh water The color also
changes. The eggs begin TO float upon
the surface Of the sea In the month OF
January: but the first larvae do not make
their appearance until the following
spring. These larvae are found In the
stomachs Of fishes that are known 10 live
In very deep water. They are developed
In the sea, and II is believed that II re-
quires az least a month before they are
transformed into little cells The repro
ductiOn Of the different species Is slow u
Is estimated that there Is an interval OF
two years between the descent OF the
adults from the rivers 20 the sea and the
return 20 their progeny After remaining
for certain time in salt water the young
eel seeks the estuaries. ana az last takes
the road 20 the rivers. As for the old eel,
Il remains IN the sea, and II Is the general
opinion that u dies very soon after repro
duction. Consequently II never returns 20
the fresh water. Such. IN brief ~ the
mystery OF the cells, which profs. Grassi
and Calandrucclo have elucidatod There
remain now only few details 10 study.
II took "a long time 60 make the dlscOv-
cry but airs well that ends well.
Henri De parvliie."
Now. n Profs. GraHsi and Cnlnndruccio
Will tcll " how cells grow IN lakes and
duck ponds far from the sea. II might be-
Interesting reading II ~ also strange
that ln artificial ponds In which nah have
never been placed, u takes little more
than two years 20 find them well stocked
with various members 81 the nnny tribe.
blk and uttic, according 90 tho nature or
the soil.
--Thomas Rail the aruipfor. Vfbo has re-.