THE ELECTRIC RAY. 217 



ther. After a few seconds the same trembling was 

 felt again ; and again several times, after different 

 intervals. The sensation was, he says, the same 

 that he should have felt by the discharge of several 

 very small electrical bottles, one after another, 

 into his hand. The shocks sometimes followed 

 each other very quickly, and increased in strength 

 towards the last. Probably, from the weakness of 

 the fish, the shock could not be communicated 

 through a brass chain, though the usual contortion 

 was evidently made. A coated vial was applied to 

 it, but could not be charged *. 



From some experiments that were made by Mr. 

 Walsh on a very stout and healthy fish, it appears 

 that, although it seemed to possess many electric pro- 

 perties, yet, no spark whatever could be discovered 

 to proceed from it, nor were pith-balls ever found to 

 be affected by it. When it was insulated, it gave a 

 shock to persons likewise insulated, and even to 

 several that took hold of each others hands : this it 

 did forty or fifty times successively, and with very 

 little diminution of force. If touched only with one 

 finger, the shock was so great as to be felt in both 

 hands. Each effort was accompanied by a depres- 

 sion of the eyes, which plainly indicated the at- 

 tempts that were made upon non-conductors. Al- 

 though the animal was in full vigour, it was not able 

 to force the torpedinal fluid across the minutest tract 

 of air, not even from one link of a small chain freelv 



Phil. Tran. vol. l.w. p. y, 



