bunch of parsley.
_Mode_.--Choose small eels for boiling; put them in a stewpan with the
parsley, and just sufficient water to cover them; simmer till tender.
Take them out, pour a little parsley and butter over them, and serve
some in a tureen.
_Time_.--1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 6d. per lb.
_Seasonable_ from June to March.
_Sufficient_ for 4 persons.
[Illustration: THE EEL.]
THE EEL TRIBE.--The Apodal, or bony-gilled and ventral-finned
fish, of which the eel forms the first Linnaean tribe, in their
general aspect and manners, approach, in some instances, very
nearly to serpents. They have a smooth head and slippery skin,
are in general naked, or covered with such small, soft, and
distant scales, as are scarcely visible. Their bodies are long
and slender, and they are supposed to subsist entirely on animal
substances. There are about nine species of them, mostly found
in the seas. One of them frequents our fresh waters, and three
of the others occasionally pay a visit to our shores.
STEWED EELS.
I.