158 TORPEDO GALVANI. 



to be distinctly of a muscular nature, consisting of 

 numerous strata, cells or prisms formed by tendi- 

 nous partitions, and filled with a thickish gelatinous 

 fluid. The same anatomist adds, " As a great 

 number of nerves (but few vessels) are distributed 

 to these cells and strata, and as the activity of the 

 organ depends upon those nerves, it is at least not 

 improbable that the nervous power accumulates in 

 the cells, whence it can be voluntarily discharged, 

 in the same manner as it is capable of being collected 

 in muscles, in order to produce their contraction*." 

 It was before noticed, that there is a peculiar 

 developement of the spinal chord in those fishes 

 which possess the electrical power ; and it should 

 be added, that in Spallanzani's experiments on the 

 electric ray, it was found that the activity of the 

 shock was always proportioned to the energy of the 

 vital powers at the time, and that the section of 

 the nerves of the organ effectually destroyed this 

 property in the animal. 



The organs of offence or attack in fishes may be 

 said to be very limited ; a few possess weapons of 

 peculiar structure and formidable appearance, and 

 are said occasionally to use them in wanton attack ; 

 but as they are few in number, so is their actual 

 usage but comparatively little known. We are not 



* Cams' Comparative Anatomy, by Gore, vol. i. p. 345. 

 See also, for information on this subject, the experiments 

 of Matteucei, detailed in various scientific periodicals for 

 1837 and 1838. 



