Educated Eels.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 102, 4 May 1904, Page 4

Educated Eels.

IT,AT OF ANIMAL TRATMNG CLlilOf P SIOHT AT Vi V\UKHVVA.

Wert, the most eminent imority on fishes, the late Frank Auckland, in the flesh and in this colony, he certainly would make an effort to visit the pretty little settlement of Manurewa, between I'apal;ir,i ami Papatoe, to study there a problem which miglit be comparatively easy {or him, but which is fojaite 'lieyond the average unscientific indidividual to solve. There, in a still deep pool, overhung with willows, is a colony of large wis, ordinary representatives of the Anguillae vulgaris, so far as their eely habits go, but ipiite uncommon in their willingness to become the devoted pets of a young lady, Miss Muriel Swears. Much has been leumed of the habits ol the eel, but there is still much remaining unknown. Normally, he sleeps in the mud all day, and wriggles about for food all night ; but these eels have been induced to abandon such regular habits, at any rate so far as the day is concerned. Miss Swears has only to g\> to the pool sride, clap her hands, and three or four fine iish come to the bank, wriggle leisurely about for a few seconds, and then raise their bodies a third of their length out of the water, and, with silent eloquence, ask far food. So many as 25 fish have gathered to Miss Swears' call, and all have been equally clamorous for food.

It is some ten or twelve years ago since Miss Swears began to feed and train these strange pets, and

she has certainly something to show for her long, intelligent observation and careful, patient training. The fish not only come to her call to be fed, but they leave the water altogether, .climbing' up the bank of the pool, ami allow themselves to he fond'led, and will then he " put through the hoop" ill a quite literal sense. At the word of command several of the more highly educated of thein will go through a gold bracelet, and wriggle back and forth again. It is a very curious sight to gee Miss Swears with a large -lit ;.'" eel in her arms, and seven or eight equally b'ig and quite as lively fellows wriggling at her feet, raising their heads in mute appeal for some reward. Keward they always get, and, the performance over, they seem to know when to return to the water. Often the eels are not fed for Jong intervals of weeks or months, ami during that time they may make their way to the sea, a mile distant, tout they are always responsive to the call of their mistress. Recently a representative of the Herald visited Mr Swears' farm, and was afforded a glimpse of his daughter's pets. At call the eels came wrigglijng to the bank by twos and threes, and when a piece of meat was held tajbove them they tried desperately to 9natch it from the fingers ; failing that, they worked their way up the hank, and it needed a sharp lookout to prevent being bitten, not in anger, but in eajgfci-ness to gel the meat. When one bigger than the rest secured it. he slipped back into the wjater with an audible snap of the jaws, and an audible bark, like, but not so loud, as that of a puppy. Miss Swears has named most of her pets, and has displayed considerable catholicity in the selection. "Let me see, there was 'Ouida,' " she reflected. "'He ' has disa|>peared.V and Miss Swears misses "Ouida" very much. Whence he has gone can only be know® to eeldom. " ' Yappa,' too, has disappeared ; tjut there are still ' Spot' ami the ' Big Gray' and others 'among, the, pupils.''" The "Big Grtxy" lis a. magnificent angtrilla who just pushes his way up from beneath the wriggling youngsters, and rears his great tiead, open-jawed, above them all, autl above the water. Only animal food will be taken, and that alive or dead. Hats or ducklings arc doomed in that pool, and perhaps the weirdest things to be seen is when, occasionally and for the fun of the things, Mr Swears puts the offal of a freshly killed sheep into the pool. There is then a picture highly suggestive of a study tor the Laocoon, with the old man and his sons left out; the agitation of the pool, the squirming, wrigI filing, and writhing of the eels amid the entrails, leaves a picture on the mind which must be difficult to obliterate. Miss Swears' pets have attracted a great nuuiy visitors, and have invested her with some celdbrity. In a way this has become somewhat of a -nuisance, as, although a very cordial welcome is given to anyone seriously interested, a good many people have visited the pool, and have carried off souvenirs in the shape of bouquets, fruit and pumpkins, without going through the formality of mentioning the matter to Mr and Mrs Swears. Too much of this sort of thing may prompt Miss Swears to train the eels as under-studies to the watchdog. The bite of these eels is very paiitful, as Mies' Swears has experienced. A , couple of 4ft eels in a melon patch might do much to protect it from raiders.—N.Z. Herald.