572 THE OCEAN WORLD. 
Many experiments followed these; but we are indebted to 
Alexander von Humboldt for the first precise account of this very 
curious fish. This celebrated naturalist read to the Institute of France 
an important memoir upon the electrical eel, from Bonpland’s obser- 
vations, the substance of which we shall give here. 
In traversing the Llanas of the province of Caracas, in order to 
embark at San Fernando de Apure on his voyage up the Orinoco, 
M. Bonpland stopped at Calabozo. The object of this sojourn was 
to investigate the history of the Gymnotus, great numbers of which 
are found in the neighbourhood. After three days’ residence in 
Calabozo some Indians conducted him to the Cano de Bera, a muddy 
and stagnant basin, but surrounded by rich vegetation, in which 
Clusia rosea, Hymenea courbaril, some grand Indian figs, and some 
_Magnificent flowering odoriferous Mimosas, were pre-eminent. He 
was much surprised when informed that it would be necessary to taxe 
thirty half-wild horses from the neighbouring savannahs in order to 
fish for the Gymnotus. 
The idea of this fishing, called in the language of the country 
embarbascar con caballos (intoxicating by means of horses), is very 
odd. The word darbasco indicates the roots of the Zacguznia, or any 
other poisonous plant, by contact of which a body of water acquires 
the property of killing, or at least of intoxicating or stupefying the 
fishes; these come to the surface when they have been poisoned in 
this manner. The horses chasing them here and there in a marsh 
has, it seems, the same effect upon the alarmed fishes. While our 
hosts were explaining to us this strange mode of fishing, the troop of 
horses and mules had arrived, and the Indians had made a sort of 
circle, pressing the horses on all sides, and forcing them into the 
marsh. The Indians, armed with long canes and harpoons, placed 
themselves round the basin, some of them mounting the trees, the 
branches of which hung over the water, and by their cries, and still more 
by their canes, preventing the horses from landing again. The eels, 
stunned by the noise, defended themselves by repeated discharges of 
their batteries. For a long time it seemed as if they would be 
victorious over the horses. Some of the mules especially, being 
almost stifled by the frequency and force of the shocks, disappeared 
under water, and some of the horses, in spite of the watchfulnes$ of 
the Indians, regained the bank, where, overcome by the shocks they 
had undergone, they stretched themselves at their wholelength. The 
picture presented was now indescribable. Groups of Indians sur- 
rounded the basin; the horses with bristling manes, terror and grief 
in their eyes, trying to escape from the storm which had surprised 
