572 THE OCEAN WORLD. 



Many experiments followed these ; but we are indebted to 

 Alexander von Humboldt for the first precise account of this very 

 curious fish. This celebrated naturalist read to the Institute of France 

 an important memoir upon the electrical eel, from Bonpland's obser- 

 vations, the substance of which we shall give here. 



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 him to the Cano de Bera, a muddy 

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

 Clusia rosea, Hymencea courbaril, some grand Indian figs, and some 

 magnificent flowering odoriferous Mimosas, were pre-eminent. He 

 was 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 

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

 odd. The word barbasco 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 

 circle, 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, the 

 branches of which 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 frequency and force of the shocks, disappeared 

 under 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 sur- 

 rounded the basin ; the horses with bristling manes, terror and grief 

 in their eyes, trying to escape from the storm which had surprised 



