128 THE ELECTRICAL GYMNOTUS, OR EEL. 



are tolerably keen after their food ; but they are 

 soon satisfied, not being able to contain much at 

 one time. One of them, three feet and upwards in 

 length, could not swallow a small fish a!»ove three, 

 Or at most three inches and a half long. 



The organs that produce this wonderful accumu- 

 lation of electric matter constitute nearly one half 

 of that part of the flesh. in which they are placed, 

 and, perhaps, compose more than one nird of the 

 whole animal. There are two pairs o l ihese organs, 

 one on each side. Their structure is very simple 

 and regular, consisting only of fiat partitions, with 

 cross divisions between them. The partitions are thin 

 membranes placed nearly parallel to one another, 

 a nd of different lengths and breadths. Their dis- 

 tances from each other differ with the size of the 

 fish : in one of two feet four inches in length they 

 were found to be aVth of an inch asunder. They 

 appear to answer the same purpose with the columns 

 of the Torpedo, making walls or butments for the 

 subdivisions, and are to be considered as forming so 

 many distinct organs ; they are very tender, and 

 easily lacerated. These are furnished with many 

 pairs of nerves appropriated to their management* ; 

 but how these surprising effects are produced by 

 means of such organs, in a fluid also extremely ill- 

 adapted to the purpose, has not yet been satis- 

 factorily explained. 



It has been said that specimens of the Electric 



* Hunter in Phil, Trans, vol. lxv, p, 395. 



I 



