laS Comparative Anatorny of the Elt'SIric Organs of ihg 



mud cautioufly guard againfl fallins into the oppoflte ex- 

 treme. For the Tublime is nearly allied to the extravagant ; 

 the exprelhve mav be eafily rendered bonibaflic or pedantic ; 

 and the beautiful, iuiirking or coquettiftu The graceful, with 

 the ignorant, may ealily become the aiVetled : perhaps there 

 is but a flight partitiou between that aftcclation ot grace in 

 the works of VVattcau, Bouche, and Le Moiae, and the pure 

 reprcfcntations of Corregio, or thofe of Parmegiano. The 

 florid may be miftaken for the fliowv and tawdry. This is 

 moft likely to happen from a cold lifekl's imitation. 



Works of genius arc eyer the relult of feeling, to which 

 we mull be directed by fpirit and judgment. A painter, a 

 poet, or pkuer, that imitates clofely, will never excel. To 

 be tamely alive' in our works is not enough; fpirit, vivacity, 

 and vigour, are required. Whatever comes fhort of this is 

 but one remove from imbecility. 



XXIf. Memeir en the comparative Anatomy of the Eledric 

 Organs of the Torpedo, the Gyninotus eledtricus and the 

 Silurus eledlricus. By E. Geoffrov*. 



OlNCE philofophers have applied with fo much fuccefs to 

 rcfearches refpetting the Galvanic pha?nomena, it is of more 

 importance than ever that a corrett defcription fhould be given 

 of ihe particular organs of certain ftlhes which are found to 

 poflcfs eledtric properties. 



Analogy gives us reafon to believe, that beings which pof- 

 fefs faculties fo extraordinary are indebted for them to an or- 

 ganization almoft entirely fimilar; confequently, that thefe 

 beines approach very near to each other, or rather, that they 

 form only one family. But by the examination wc are ena- 

 bled to make, this ij not obferved to be the cafe : on the con- 

 trary, we are furprifed to find that the eledric fiflies belong 

 to genera exceedinpjy ditferent, and that they are placed in 

 thefe genera without violating in any manner the order of 

 natural relations. An ele£lrlc fpecics, therefore, is known 

 in each of the genera, of ray, tetrodon, trichiurus, gymnotus, 

 and filurus. 



To account for the great diffimilarity of the fiflies which 

 are dillinguifhed from others of the Airne genera by the pre- 

 fence of cleclric organs, we muft admit that the latter are 

 not ett'entially conneded with organs of the firft importance, 

 and that they belong at moil to the common integuments, 



* Fiom Ar.nales du Mvjeum National, No. 5. 



which 



