TORPEDO. 277 



shape and stuffed, have, in several instances, been im- 

 posed upon the credulity of the ignorant, as the skins of 

 the mermaid. 



In weight the Angel Shark generally exceeds a hundred 

 pounds. The head is large, and the eyes are small. The 

 pectoral fins are very large, and have a distant resem- 

 blance to wings. The back is of a pale ash colour, and 

 very rough; and the belly is white and smooth. Along 

 the middle of the back there is a prickly, tuberculated 

 line. 



26. RAY TRIBE. 



The Rays are inhabitants only of the sea. From their 

 flat shape they chiefly swim near the bottom of the water ; 

 and, during the winter, cover themselves there with sand 

 or mud. Some of the species grow to an immense size. 



Torpedo, or Electric Ray. Lurid in its appearance, 

 and voracious in its habits, the Torpedo obtains its prey 

 by concealing itself in the mud at the bottom of the sea, 

 and benumbing it, with nearly the same effect as that 

 communicated from an electrical machine. 



tf Conscious of secret power, a gift divine, 

 On sands, as dead, the Cramp-fish lies supine ; 

 Thus, careless stretch'd, a wide destruction makes, 

 And wand'ring shoals without her labour takes." 



The powers of the Torpedo are such, that it is able to 

 give a shock for forty or fifty times successively, and 

 with little diminution of force, to several persons who take 

 hold of each other's hands. And, if touched with only 

 one finger, the shock is so great, as to be felt through 

 both the arms. In the winter season these powers are 



