46 NATURAL HISTORY. 



is esteemed by many as palatable, and commonly used as 

 an article of food. 



The Sea or Conger Eel (mursena conger), about six 

 feet long, is gray, thick as a man's arm, has a large 

 mouth with sharply-pointed teeth, and inhabits the Eu- 

 ropean seas. It preys upon snails and crabs. The flesh 

 is eaten and much esteemed. A smaller species, white, 

 and marbled with black, is 



The MurcencB (muraenae), which was so highly esteemed 

 by the old Romans. Vidius Pollio, a friend of the Em- 

 peror Augustus, but a monster of barbarity and a great 

 epicure, used to have his slaves thrown into the eel vats 

 to be devoured by the mursenae, and insisted the flesh was 

 greatly improved by the banquet on human flesh. 



The Electric Eel (gymnotus electricus) is without 

 scales and wanting the dorsal fins .; the head is flat and 

 frog-like ; length, from two to three feet ; color, dirty- 

 brown, thinly spotted with yellow. It has, especially 

 when irritated, the power of giving severe electric shocks, 

 which are sufficiently potent to kill a horse, and as the 

 benumbing shock of this singular creature is transmis- 

 sible by water, a journey in which the traveler has to 

 wade through fords, is rather dangerous. When it has 

 given repeated shocks to animals or fishes, it becomes 

 exhausted, and requires a period of rest before it regains 

 its electric power. At this time, by means of silken 

 lines, it can be taken without danger. It is found in the 

 fresh water streams and lakes of South America, and 

 feeds on all kinds of fishes, which it first benumbs with 

 its electric stroke. The flesh is eaten and considered 

 good. 



The Tobias Fisrh (ammodytes tobianus) is smooth, 

 silvery, brownish above, about a span in length, and 



