DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11637#0060
46 TRAVELS IN UPPER
ing to Herodotus, was regarded as sacred by the
ancient Egyptians *. The priests had stamped this
fish with the seal of divinity, to prevent the people
from eating it, because probably they had observed
some noxious effects arising from its use. For this
reason Mr. Pauw has called it the pernicious eel of
the Nile-f-. At present the Egyptians eat it with-
out the least scruple; the Europeans follow their
example, and neither of them have experienced
any bad consequences from it. The Turks alone
refrain from it, but it is in consequence of their
aversion to an animal, which, in their opinion, en-
genders with the serpent. At Rossetta these eels
were very common : for ten-pence you could buy
three, each upwards of two feet long; and I found
them as delicate eating as our European eel.
This eel, however, has some slight differences
from ours, and may constitute a distinct species,
or at least a variety. The principal marks of dis-
tinction arc:—1st, The little cirrhi of the upper
jaw are longer than in our eel : zdly, the dorsal
fin terminates near the head, while in our eel it
scarcely extends beyond the middle of the body :
3dly, the teeth are not arranged in the same man-
ner: 4thly, in the lower jaw of the eel of the Nile
are little holes, very apparent, which in the com-
* Lib. II. § 72.
■f Recherches Pliilos, vol i, p. 154.
moi:
ing to Herodotus, was regarded as sacred by the
ancient Egyptians *. The priests had stamped this
fish with the seal of divinity, to prevent the people
from eating it, because probably they had observed
some noxious effects arising from its use. For this
reason Mr. Pauw has called it the pernicious eel of
the Nile-f-. At present the Egyptians eat it with-
out the least scruple; the Europeans follow their
example, and neither of them have experienced
any bad consequences from it. The Turks alone
refrain from it, but it is in consequence of their
aversion to an animal, which, in their opinion, en-
genders with the serpent. At Rossetta these eels
were very common : for ten-pence you could buy
three, each upwards of two feet long; and I found
them as delicate eating as our European eel.
This eel, however, has some slight differences
from ours, and may constitute a distinct species,
or at least a variety. The principal marks of dis-
tinction arc:—1st, The little cirrhi of the upper
jaw are longer than in our eel : zdly, the dorsal
fin terminates near the head, while in our eel it
scarcely extends beyond the middle of the body :
3dly, the teeth are not arranged in the same man-
ner: 4thly, in the lower jaw of the eel of the Nile
are little holes, very apparent, which in the com-
* Lib. II. § 72.
■f Recherches Pliilos, vol i, p. 154.
moi: