124 THE ELECTRICAL GYMNOTUS, OR EEL. 



the body are several annular divisions, or rather 

 rugae of the skin, from which the fish should seem 

 to partake of a vermicular nature, and to have the 

 power ot contracting or dilating itself at pleasure 

 It is able to swim backwards as well as forwards. 



These fishes possess the singular property of 

 giving a shock, similar in its effects to that produced 

 from a charged jar, to any body, or any number of 

 bodies connected together. In different publica- 

 tions, domestic and foreign, we have numerous 

 accounts of experiments on the Electric Eel: the 

 best of them seem those inserted in the Philoso- 

 phical Transactions, by Dr. Williamson and Dr. 

 Garden. 



The former of these gentlemen says that, on 

 touching an Electrical Eel with one hand, a sensa- 

 tion is experienced similar to that arising from 

 touching the conductor of an electrical machine: 

 with a short iron rod the same was felt, but less 

 powerfully. While another person provoked the 

 fish, Dr. W. put his hand into the water, at the dis- 

 tance of three feet from it, and felt an unpleasant 

 sensation in the joints of his fingers. Some small 

 fish were thrown into the water, and the animal 

 immediately stunned and swallowed them. A larger 

 fish was thrown in, which he stunned likewise, and 

 attempted to swallow j but, from its size, he could 

 not do it. Dr. W. put his hand into the water, 

 and had another fish thrown in at some distance. 

 The Eel swam up to it, and at first turned away 

 without offering it any violence : after a little time 

 he returned, and, looking stedfastly at it a few 



