LECTURE VIII. 55 



freedom, and bestowing an unmerited pardon on 

 the offender ; sparing his life in consideration of 

 former friendship. This story has been so often 

 related that it cannot be supposed to be impressive 

 to many from its novelty, but many authors make 

 a mistake as to the Fish, which instead of a Mu- 

 raena they erroneously suppose to be a Lamprey, 

 The Eels strictly speaking, are furnished with pec- 

 toral or breast-fins ; but the Mur^enae have none. 

 Authors therefore who are partial to a highly 

 precise division of the genera of fishes, instead of 

 comprehending the Eels and the Mur cense under 

 the common title of Murcena, as Linnaeus has 

 done, divide them into distinct genera under the 

 titles of Murcena, Anguilla, Synbranchus, and some 

 others; all agreeing in general form, but dis- 

 tinguished from each other by the absence or pre- 

 sence of breast-fins and some other circumstances. 

 A more remarkable genus of apodal or foot- 

 less fishes is that of Gynmotus, which is distin- 

 guished by a lengthened body, without any back- 

 fin, but furnished with one beneath, running along 

 almost from extent or length of the animal. The 

 principal species is the Gymnotus electricus or Elec- 

 trical Gymnotus, sometimes improperly termed the 



