. OSSEOUS FISHES. 539 



In traversing the Lianas of the province of Caracas, in order to 

 embark at San Fernando de Apure on his voyage up the Orinoco, 

 M. Bonpland stopped at Calabozo. The object of this sojourn was to 

 investigate the history of the gymnotus, great numbers of which are 

 found in the neighbourhood. After .three days' residence in Calabozo 

 some Indians conducted them to the Cano de Bera, a muddy and 

 stagnant basin, but surrounded by rich vegetation, in which Clusia 

 rosea, Hymenoea courbaril, some grand Indian figs, and some magni- 

 ficent flowering odoriferous mimosas, were pre-eminent. They were 

 much surprised when informed that it would be necessary to take 

 thirty half-wild horses from the neighbouring savannahs in order to 

 fish for the gymnotus. 



The idea of this fishing, called in the language of the country 

 enibarbascar con caballos (intoxicating by means of horses), is very 

 odd. The word Ijarbasco indicates the roots of the Lacquinia, or any 

 other poisonous plant, by contact of which a body of water acquires 

 the' property of killing, or, at least, of intoxicating or stupefying the 

 fishes. These come to the surface when they have been poisoned in 

 this manner. The horses chasing them here and there in a marsh 

 has, it seems, the same effect upon the alarmed fishes. While our 

 hosts were explaining to us this strange mode of fishing, the troop 

 of horses and mules had arrived, and the Indians had made a sort of 

 battue, pressing the horses on all sides, and forcing them into the 

 marsh. The Indians, armed with long canes and harpoons, placed 

 themselves round the basin, some of them mounting the trees, whose 

 branches hung over the water, and by their cries, and still more by their 

 canes, preventing the horses from landing again. The eels, stunned by 

 the noise, defended themselves by repeated discharges of their batteries. 

 For a long time it seemed as if they would be victorious over the 

 horses. Some of the mules especially, being almost stifled by the fre- 

 quency and force of the shock, disappeared under the water, and some 

 of the horses, in spite of the watchfulness of the Indians, regained the 

 bank, where, overcome by the shocks they had undergone, they stretched 

 themselves at their whole length. The picture presented was now 

 indescribable. Groups of Indians surrounded the basin ; the horses 

 with bristling mane, terror and grief in their eyes, trying to escape 

 from the storm which had surprised them ; the eels, yellow and 

 livid, looking like great aquatic serpents swimming on the surface of 



