ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. 503 



it will soon revive again. If a larger fish than they can swallow 

 be thrown into the water, at a time that they are hungry, they 

 give him some smart shocks, till he is apparently dead, and then 

 endeavour to swallow or suck him in ; but, after several attempts, 

 finding he is too large, they quit him. Upon the most careful in- 

 spection of such fish, I could never see any mark of teeth, or the 

 least wound or scratch upon them. When the electrical fish are 

 hungry, they are pretty keen after their food; but they are soon 

 satisfied, not being able to contain much at a time. An electrical 

 fish of three feet and upwards in length cannot swallow a small 

 fish above three or at most three inches and a half long. I am told 

 that the electrical fish is sometimes found in the river Surinam up- 

 wards of twenty feet in length, and that the stroke or shock proves 

 instant death to the person who receives it." 



Mr. Hunter's accurate description of the electric or galvanic or- 

 gans of this curious animal, is as follows : 



" This fish, on the first view, appears very much like an eel, 

 from which resemblance it has most probably got its name; but 

 it has none of the specific properties of that fish. This animal 

 may be considered, both anatomically and physiologically, as di- 

 vided into two parts, viz. the common animal part, and a part 

 which is superadded, viz. the peculiar organ. I shall at present 

 consider it only with respect to the last ; as the first explains no- 

 thing relating to the other, nor any thing relating to the animal 

 economy of fish in general. The first, or common animal part, is 

 so contrived as to exceed what was necessary for itself, in order to 

 give situation, nourishment, and most probably the peculiar pro- 

 perty to the second. The last part, or peculiar organ, has an 

 immediate connexion with the first; the body affording it a situation, 

 the heart nourishment, and the brain nerves, and probably its pecu- 

 liar powers. For the first of these purposes the body is extended 

 out in length, being much longer than would be sufficient for what 

 may be called its progressive motion. For the real body, or that 

 part where the viscera lie, is situated, with respect to the head, as 

 in other fish, and is extremely short ; so that, according to the or- 

 dinary proportions, this should be a very short fish. Its great 

 length, therefore, seems chiefly intended to afford a surface for the 

 support of the peculiar organ : the tail part, however, is likewise 

 adapted to the progressive motion of the whole, and to preserve 



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