THE GYMNOTUS. 275 



the fish were immediately taken out of the water that 

 contained the gymnotus, they recovered their powers, 

 though slowly ; but if they were allowed to remain in 

 the same water with it, they died. 



The shock of the gymnotus is felt most strongly 

 when it is actually touched ; and the violence of the 

 shock bears some proportion to that of the touching ; 

 being much more violent when it is pressed, than 

 when the hand is simply brought into contact with 

 it. The shock is communicated to a considerable 

 extent through the water, though the violence dimi- 

 nishes with the distance, a shock at three feet distance 

 being much less severe than one obtained by immediate 

 contact. When the shock is not received by immediate 

 contact with the fish, but through some connecting 

 substance, the violence of the shock is in proportion 

 to the conducting power of those substances ; and with 

 a dry glass rod, or silk handkerchief, it may be touched 

 without inconvenience. 



Like the action of the torpedo, that of the gymnotus 

 cannot be transmitted in the air, except to very minute 

 distances. If the ends of two wires be as much as 

 even the fiftieth part of an inch asunder, the shock 

 does not pass from the one of them to the other ; and 

 along a line it is weak, unless the line be wet. 



Though the gymnoti are understood to be very vo- 

 racious animals, they kill much more than they are 

 able to eat ; and in the case of small fish, it is pro- 

 bable that they may kill several with one shock, as the 

 shocks are propagated all round the animal that gives 

 them. We are not aware that any satisfactory obser- 

 vations have been made as to the effects which the 



