576 THE OCEAN WORLD. 
have been repeated here. Ifwe place ourselves upon isolated supports, 
and take hold of a metallic rod, a shock is received; but no shock:is 
received, on the other hand, if the fish is touched with a glass rod, 
or one covered with wax. Humboldt and Bonpland repeated this 
experiment many times, with decisive results, The electric organ 
has been carefully described by these observers. The organs extend 
from under the tail, occupying nearly one-half of the thickness. It is 
divided into four longitudinal bundles of muscles, the upper ones 
large, the two smaller below, and against the base of the anal fin. 
Each bundle consists of many parallel membranous plates, placed 
closely together and very nearly horizontal. These plates abut in one 
part on the skin, in another on the mean vertical plane of the fish. 
They are united to each other by an infinity of smaller plates, placed 
either vertically or transversely. The smaller prismatic and trans- 
versal canals, intercepted by those two orders of plates, are filled with 
gelatinous matter. All this organic apparatus receives many nerves, 
and presents, in many respects, an arrangement nearly analogous to 
that of the torpedoes. 
Of the Alurenide, we find the Sea-Eel (AZurena helena). It isa 
serpent-like fish, of cylindrical form and delicate proportions, but 
strong, flexible, and active, swimming in waving, undulating move- 
ments in the water, just as a serpent creeps on dry land. The Sea- 
Eels have no pectoral fin, the dorsal and anal fin are re-united in the 
tail fin. A branchial opening is observable on each side of the body. 
Murena helena (Fig. 376), which is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean, 
has only a single row of teeth upon each jaw. It attains the length 
of forty to fifty inches. It loves to bask in the hollows of rocks, 
approaching the coast in spring-time. It feeds on crabs and small 
fishes, seeking eagerly for polyps. The voracity of these fishes is 
such, that when other food fails they begin to nibble at each other’s 
tails. 
The sea-eels are caught with rod and line, or by lines and ground- 
bait, but their instinct is such that they often escape. When they 
have swallowed a hook they often cut the line with their teeth, or 
they turn upon it and try, by winding it round some other object, to 
strain or break it. When caught in a net, they quickly choose some 
mesh through which their body can glide. 
Those who have studied the classics will remember the passionate 
love with which the Roman gourmet regarded these fishes. In the 
days of the Empire enormous sums were expended in keeping up 
the ponds which enclosed them, and the fish themselves were 
multiplied to such an extent that Cesar, on the occasion of one of 
