316 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



puffed up, but later on it did not appear to suffer from the sudden 

 change from fresh to salt water. It lived several hours in a bucket 

 of sea-water. 



Electrophorus electricus (Purakee). 



I have often seen electric eels along the rocky ledges of the Guapore, 

 Marmore, and upper Madeira Rivers, coming to the surface and 

 emitting air. This was observed in the morning and evening They 

 rise almost vertically and begin making large air-bubbles before their 

 snouts protrude from the water. They delay only an instant before 

 descending again. 



An Indian shot a specimen five feet long with an arrow, and I swam 

 in after it. I pulled it to the sandy margin of the river and while it 

 was still covered with water I passed my hand three times over the 

 entire body of the dying eel. The shock I felt was acute, but far from 

 being a stunning blow. While I was removing it from the water and 

 putting it into a dip-net made of copper wire it wriggled against the 

 wire, and I received all of its voltage and fell helpless on the moist 

 sand. A series of terrible shocks continued so long as the eel remained 

 on my bare legs and I could not let go of the dip-net. The Indian 

 relieved me by pulling the eel away by means of the arrow, which still 

 remained in its head. I ne\er saw a fish killed by an electric eel, and 

 I do not believe that they are capable of doing this in a river. The 

 shock appears to be only a protection. 



Finielodella transitoria (Mir. Rib.) is a synonym of Pinielodella 

 lateristriga. 



Lophiosilurus alexandri Steindachner. 

 No. 2881. One specimen. 6.5 cm. long. Cidade da Barra, Bahia, 



Rio Sao Francisco, Dec. 6, 1907. 

 " 2878. One specimen, 20.5 cm. long. Joazeiro, Bahia, Rio Sao 

 Francisco, Nov. 28, 1907. 

 2879. One specimen, 28.5 cm. long. Penedo, Alagoas, Rio 

 Sao Francisco, below Paulo Affonso Falls, March 

 20, 1908. 

 This species, well represented by the three specimens cataloged 

 above, is peculiar to the basin of the Rio Sao Francisco. 



