The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-02-12
FEELS ARE MYSTERY WAS HOME DOCTOR
Phases of the Existence of Slip
perry Creatures.
They Spawn In the Deep Sea, Migrate
to Fresh Water, but Return to
flace of Birth Before Disap-
pearinq Forever,

The eel reaches it's greatest derel.
opment in America along the Atlantic
seaboard and rivers discharging there
on but it is found in abundant guam
titiesFi in the great lakes; the gulf of
Mexico and the mississippi river and
it's tributaries, says Hugh M. Smith,
United States commissioner of fish
and fisheries, in.>the National. Geo
graphical Magazine. A. similar ;spe-
.cies is found in western Europe, the
Mediterian sea and as far. south as the
Azores. a. In America: ellis, ,.found all
along thes eastern. coast of. Brazil. !.
- The. eel rs most valued as food in
Germany and the: Scandinavian .copn-
tries of northern Europe, although it
is. eaten to some extent in all coun-
tries where it is found Profitable
eel farms are conducted in Norway.
The Danes are perhaps the greatest
consumers of. eels, the catch in that
nation being greater than for :. all
North America.
= Practically nothing is known Of the
spawning of :eels and little of their
early life. 1t is known that when
they are about year old they seek
fresh water. Eels take no nourish-
ment during this period. When first.
known they are fiat and translucent,
large dark. eyes being the only parts
visible. They are then, about three
inches long. = During, the year they
drift with the tide and WIND and grad
ually assume the shape Of the eel OF
commerce. d /, ~, :: =: go
AS soon as they reach fresh water
physical changes begin to take place:
They become brownish in color and
later very dark. The fresh water mi
grafton comes. in. the late winter or
spring, When full grown they return
to salt water and disappear. That mi
grafton takes place In. the fall.
When the, eel is ready for its de-
parture :. from fresh water it under
goes peculiar changes. : Fhe eyes in
the. male become nearly twice their
normal size. and both sexes lose their
dirty yellow green. color becoming
silvery. 20. They travel down stream,
the open sea all knowledge of their
| habits becomes obscure. 1t Is known
that they never spawn within a thou
sand feet Of the surface and It Is be-
.lieved that they undego general de-
lgeneration or jellfication of tissues.
They never return to fresh water nor
have they been; caught at sea.
The female eel is the larger ard one
most usually caught for food: Any eel
lie inches long is most likely a fe-
male while any more than IL inches
long Is certain to be. No. eel with ripe
eggs has ever been found and Only one
smature male, has lever been. -@ught..
That one, IA inches long was found
off the coast of Denmark. -..,-. -.
| It is believed that the eel is tlp most
prolific Of all baokboned creatures. An
average sized eel will produce. from
100000 to 100000 eggs, it s esti-
mated, while larger ones will pro-
duce 20,000,00O. : r
+ Eeis are feeble swimmers, ard their
I favorite food Is the roe Of fish@. they,
like humans, being particularly fond
of shad roe. In this way eels'become
very destructive of other filh life.
They will attack fish caught In gill
nets. but never otherwise. '~
The strangest facts about the eel is
| that they take no food in the larval
stages, says Mr.. Smith. They emerge
from. an egg less than one twenty-fifth
| Of an inch in. diameter and grow to a
length. of perhaps three inches or more
in year, drifting ! 900 miles or more
on the sea, yet s.taket no food. When
| they reach fresh,water their digestive
organs have just reached sufficient de-
| velopment to take food. p
| Also IT. is not generally recognized
THAT .eels are a scale fish. Mr.. Smith
states the scales are easily recognized
| With the eye and become objects of
scientific, curiosity under the micro
scope. Most Of the present"day knoWl-
edge of cells has been based on a study
| of the scales. Eels scales differ from
any other American fish scales. The
scales increase in size with the eel
and decrease when the eel shrinks
during the winter fast. - The scales
are deposited normally, after the eel
has lived three years in fresh water. :.
| Owing to- the. cells mysterious life
some curious tales have been built
around it.,s Early writer's could ac-
| count for their birth in no way except
by spontaneous e origin from mud,
horsehair or the skins of old eels. The
horsehair myth still prevails in rural
| districts. --.~.
A writer in the thirteenth century
solemnly declared that cells, leate the
water at night and feed in fields: G E
man peasants and many Americans be-
| lieve this. g.-.n ..;',> .1.e:.-' ~ ;; !.
-, ~;