226 DISSECTION OP ELECTRIC BATTERY OF TORPEDO. 



gissey, Cornwall, stating that lie had in his possession 

 a torpedo, which had just heen caught. On my road 

 home I picked up (at the station of Mevagissey) the box 

 containing the fish, and brought it up to London. • The 

 general shape of the torpedo is that of a ray or skate ; 

 it has no spines whatever about it, and the skin is soft 

 and flabby to the touch, very like wetted wash-leather. 

 The general colour is a dark chocolate. The specimen 

 weighed 35lbs., and measured at its broadest part 2ft. 

 Tin., and from end of tail to tip of nose 3ft. 9in. 

 The first thing observable on laying the fish on the 

 table were a number of j)eculiar lines upon the back. 

 These radiate from a central line, and distribute them- 

 selves all over the body. I suppose these are nerves, 

 forming the outpost sentries on guard over the great 

 electric fortress of this marvellous fish. Eound the 

 anterior portion of the body could be seen and felt 

 under the skin a number of round, hard nerves, bound 

 loosely together by a membrane, and in section not 

 unlike a submarine telegraph wire. I have no idea 

 what is the function of these ; of course they have their 

 duty, but no investigators seem to have noticed them. 

 On each side of the eyes of the fish, as it lay on the 

 table, could be seen a deep depression, occupying the 

 major part of the anterior part of the body. I dissected 

 off the skin on one side and exposed to view the won- 

 derful electric apparatus. This consists of a mass of 

 soft structure, reminding us somewhat of '* size." It 

 was covered with a dense fascia-like membrane, and on 

 dissecting it off can be seen a series of white j)liant 

 columns, in a close and, for the most part, hexagonal 

 arrangement, like an unbroken honeycomb just removed 

 from the hive; or, if we wish for another comparison, 

 like a street pavement made of pillars of basalt, as often 



