Eels inhabit fresh water. By day they lie concealed in the mud or in holes which they excavate near the shore.

When the water of the pond grows low or stagnates, the eels leave the bottom and conceal themselves in the herbage of the shore; they will also at night cross the land in search of a fresh dwelling-place, crawling on the earth like serpents. When the ponds dry up they bury themselves in the sand and remain there till the water returns. The eels deposit their eggs in the sea; in the spring the young eels ascend rivers, and dwell in fresh water till they go to deposit their eggs.

The Conger Eel

Constituent parts of 1 lb.

The Conger Eel always lives in the sea, or in salt water. It is of great size and a very rich fat fish. It abounds at the mouth of the Severn. Eels are stewed, fried, and boiled. The conger eel is cooked in many various ways. (See "Model Cookery," and "Fish and How to Cook them," by Elizabeth Watts.) Eels sell at about 9d, per pound. They average from one and a half to two or three pounds.

The Lamprey is a species of eel very much esteemed as food. The sea lamprey is two or three feet in length, and marbled with brown on a yellowish ground. It inhabits the coasts both of Europe and America; in the spring it ascends rivers to deposit its eggs. The fresh-water lamprey is a smaller species - seldom exceeding eighteen inches in length. It passes the greater part of the year in fresh-water lakes. Its colour is dark olive, yellowish, and silvery beneath.