THE WONDERFUL EEL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 266, 2 April 1913, Page 2

THE WONDERFUL EEL

SOME srnKLKUITS OX A VERY ■SLIPPERY CUSTOMER.

Where do eels come from? Ignorant people believe ■ (says a London paper) that horeshnirs in some marvellous way become endowed with life and develop into the young of these creatures. This is not, of course, the way in which Nature works,, but the truth is,'perhaps, still more wonderful and romantic.

Far away near the west coast of Ireland, where the ocean is really deep—that is to say, where the distance from surface to bottom is anything from one to four miles—can be found a curious little fish. Many specimens have been caught in trawling nets, and they are peculiar little objects, for they are as transparent as if made of glass. When placed in water they are practically invisible save for their eyes, whicn are black and have a most weird appearance as the little creature swim to and fro. Now it has been proved that this fish turns to a young eel, just as a tadpole turns to a, frog. But still more wonderful is the way in which, while this gradual change is tak-' ing place, the eel-tadpole, as it may be called, finds it way eastwards till it reaches our shores. By the time it does so it is like a grown-up eel, but is only about two inches long. Riverside people iiill them "elvers," and know that in the winter months they may often be seen in millions ascending the rivers.

The waters of. the Severn and other western rivers are often so packed with them that it would be difficult to dip even a cup into the stream without se-' curing at least one. Many of them remain ill the river, but others, more adventurous, actually wriggle their way overland for considerable distances. They have even been seen to siirmouflt a six-foot wall, pushing each other from behind, and taking advantage of every crevice and crack. Similarly wet rocks and wet grass present no obstacles to them, though, of course, they prefer a rain-filled ditch. There is some uncertainty as to how far they can travel without any depth of water, but they can certainly do so for some hundreds of yards.

Eels are often found in ponds quite in the interior of the country and over a thousand feet above sea-level.

It might be thought that one. such journey would be enough for any fish, how ever fond of travel. it is certain that eels .jiever breed m our islands, and, therefore, if they were all content to settle down and live and die.at thendestination the species would soon become extinct. No doubt some do settle down, and their life story is ended. Others, however, have been found actually on their way back, by some wonderful instinct, again overland to the nearest rivulet or stream, doivn to the sea and far out to the depths of the Atlantic. But, just as a lady would be very unwilling to travel so many miles in her ordinary stay-at-home frocks, so the eels put oil new drosses before tlicy start their journey. Fishermen who catch eels have long recognised two varieties —tlie silver eel and the yellow eel. ■ A Danish naturalist recently proved that there are really not two distinct kinds, but that the silver coat is put on by both male and female before starting their seawa.'d journey.