Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-01-30
Phases Of the Existence Of Slip.
perry Creatures.
They Spawn In the Deep Sea, Migrate
to Fresh Water. but Return to
Place Of Birth Before Disap-
pearing Forever.

r .
Place Of Birth Before Disap-
pearing Forever.
The eel peaches it, greatest devel-
Upment in America along the Atlantic
seaboard and rivers discharging there
on. but 1t Is found in abundant guam
titles in the great lakes. the gulf Of
Mexico and the Mississippi river and
its tributaries. says Hugh M. Smith,
United States commissioner OF f1sh
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. In America ellis are found all
along the eastern coast of Brazil.
The eel is most valued as food In
Germany and the Scandinavian coun-
tries Of northern Europe. although 1t
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 cells. the catch in that
nation being greater than for all
North America.
Practically nothing is known Of the
spawning of cells and little Of their
early, life. 1t is known that when
they are about a year old they seek
fresh water. Eels take no nourish-
ment during this period. When first
known they are fat 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
tally assume the shape of the eel of
commerce.
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 NIL
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. The eyes in
the male become nearly twice their
normal size and both sexes lose their
dirty yellow green color, becoming
silvery. They travel down stream,
mostly at night and once they reach
the open sea all knowledge OF their
habits becomes obscure. 1t is known
that they never spawn within thou
sand feet of the surface and it is be-
Iieved that they u4dego general de-
generation or sjellification Of tissues.
They never return to fresh water nor
have they been caught at sea.
The female eel is the larger and one
most usually caught for food. Any eel
16 inches long is most likely f.
male while any more than Is inches
long is certain to be. No eel with ripe
eggs has ever been found and only one
mature male has ever been caught.
That one, IA inches long, was found
of the coast Of Denmark. -l-@I
It is believed that the cells the most
prolific Of all backboned creatures. An
average sized eel will produce from
100000 to 100000 eggs, 1t is esti-
mated, while larger ones will pro-
duce 100000
Eels are feeble swimmers, and-their
favorite food is the roe OF fishes. they,
like humans, being particularly fond
of shad roe. In this way eels become
very destructive of other fish 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 laryal
stages, says Mr.. Smith. They emeIge
from an egg less than one twenty.f1fth
of an inch in diameter and grow to q
length OF perhaps three inches or mss'e
in a year, drifting 1000 miles or more
on the sea, yet take NO food. When
they reach fresh water their digestive
organs have just reached sufficient de-
velopment to take food.
Also it is not generally recognized
that cells 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 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. EARLY writer's could &C
count for their birth in no way except
by spontaneous origin from mud,
horsehair or the skins Of old cells. The
horsehair myth still prevails in rural
districts. "..
A writer in the thirteenth century
solemnly declared that cells leave the
water at night and feed in fields. Ger
man peasants and many Americans be-
lieve this.
contrasted Advantages.