MALOPTEKUKTTS. 399 



d'une pesanteur telle, que Ton ne peut ni le retenir, ni tenir quoique ce soit. 

 L'engourdissement se communique au bras, puis a l'epaule, puis gagne tout ce cote, 

 pour peu qu'on touche ce poisson, si leger et si court que soit 1'attouchement. Un 

 pecheur, qui avait peche le raada, m'a assure que quand ce poisson etait dans le filet, 

 ce meme effet se faisait sentir au pecheur, sans que se main touchat le poisson et meme 

 a une distance de plus d'un empan. Quand le raada est mort, il perd cette vertu." 



In Purchas, 'His Pilgrimes,' published in 1625, two notices appear which I here 

 quote from Gill : — 



" In the seventh booke Abyssinia, called then Abassia, is described, and a notice of 

 Abassine animals is given (p. 1183). 



" In thefe Riuers and Lakes is alio found the Torpedo, which if any man hold in his hand, if it 

 ftirre not, it dofch produce no effect : but if it moue it felfe neuer fo little, it fo tormenteth the body 

 of him which holds it, that his Arteries, Joints, Sinewes, & all his Members feele exceeding paine 

 with a certaine numbnelTe ; and as foone as it is let go out of the hand, all that paine and numbneffe 

 is alfo gone. The Superftitious Abaffines beleeue that it is good to expell Deuils out of humane 

 bodies, as if it did torment Spirits no leffe than men. They fay, if one of thefe aliue bee laid 

 amongft dead Fifhes, if it there ftirre it felfe, it makes thofe which it toucheth to ftirre as if they 

 were alive. There is great ftore of this kind in Nilus, in the fur theft parts of Goyama, where there 

 is a Meere or Fenne without bottome, welling and admirably boyling forth waters continually 

 whence Nilus fpringeth. 



" In the twelfth booke, in which the present country of Mozambique is described 

 (p. 1545), the Torpedo is named in the margin, and the following notice of it 

 appears : 



" In the Riaer of Sofala is ftore of Fifh fat and sauorie, as Mullets, Needles, Dolphins, &c. One 

 ftrange fifh in qualitie is common in thofe Riuers, which the Portugals call Tremedor, and the 

 Cafres, TJmila, of fuch nature that no man can take it in his hand while it is alive, for it filleth the 

 hand and arm wilh paine, as if every ioint would go afunder ; but being dead is as another fifh, and 

 much efteemed for good meate. The Naturals fay, that the skin of this fifh is vfed to forceries. It 

 is medicinable againft the Cholick, rofted and ground to powder and drunke in Wine. The bi^o-eft 

 of them is two fpannes and halfe long, the skin blackifh, rough and thick." 



Placed in an aquarium, however spacious, with other fishes, even of the same species, 

 the Malopterurus usually kills its companions, and I have seen a large Protopterus 

 killed by one shock. There are, however, exceptions. In one of the tanks of the 

 Gezira aquarium, which contains about one cubic metre of water, besides two 

 Malojpteruri were kept several Boltis (Tilapia nilotica), and neither species of fish 

 appeared to in any way interfere with the other *. 



* S. Flower, Eep. Zool. Gard. Giza for 1904, p. 27. 



