THE ELECTRICAL GYMNOTUS, OR EEL. I27 



hold of the fish with both hands at some consider- 

 able distance from each other, so as to form a com" 

 munication betwixt them. He held a large one 

 several times by one hand without receiving a shock, 

 but he never touched any of them with both his hands 

 without feeling a smart shock. The remainder of 

 his experiments, though not so numerous, tend to 

 confirm the truth of those that were made by Dr. 

 Williamson *. 



The account of Captain Stedman differs from the 

 above in one material point : he says that it is by no 

 means necessary to grasp the animal with both hands 

 to receive the shock, having himself experienced 

 the contrary effect. For a small wager he attempted 

 several times to seize an Electrical Eel with one 

 hand, and at every trial he had a severe shock, 

 which extended to the top of his shoulder ; and after 

 about twenty different attempts, to no purpose, he 

 was compelled to desist f . 



This property seems principally of use to the Elec- 

 trical Eels in securing their food ; for, being des- 

 titute ot teeth, they would otherwise be scarcely 

 able to seize it. The force of the shock has been 

 satisfactorily proved to depend entirely on the will, 

 and to be exerted as circumstances require. Their 

 prey are generally so stunned by the shock as to ap- 

 pear dead ; but when these have been taken into 

 another vessel they have been always found to re- 

 cover.— When the Electrical Eels are hungry they 



Phil. Tran. vol. lxv. p. 102. t Stedman's Account <sf Surinam. 



