GYMNOTUS ELECTEICUS. 415 



" The eels live in winter on the roots of grass, and in summer 

 on worms, and the spawn of such shell-fish as they can come at. 



" The fish besides those mentioned, are flat-fish and mullet. Of the 

 last they have three kinds, the grey, yellow, and red." — Anon. MS. 

 Memorandum. 



The Electrical Eel \_Gymnotus electricus, Linn. 1 ]. 



This fish I shall consider in three lights ; its singularity simply upon 

 account of the organ ; its singularities from other fish as a fish ; the 

 organ itself. 



This fish, on the first view, appears much like an eel, from which 

 resemblance it has most probably got its name, but it has none of the 

 specific characters of that fish. Its colour is in general dark, very 

 nearly black, but it is said to have several brown spots [when alive]. 

 The general shape is long in proportion for its thickness. Its head is 

 broad from side to side, especially at that part where it is joined to the 

 body. The body generally is much narrower from side to side than 

 from the back to the fore or lower part, owing in some degree to the 

 under fin. It is much thicker near the head in proportion to its breadth 

 than at the tail. It loses its thickness laterally, by degrees, towards 

 the extremity of the tail, where it is very thin. The transverse section 

 is an oval, of which the back of the animal makes the thick, and the 

 lower part the small, end ; which is continued out into a long point by 

 means of the fin. It keeps its breadth to pretty near the extremity of 

 the tail, and then becomes narrow by the back being bent towards the 

 fin, which keeps nearly a straight edge. The fin grows gradually 

 broader towards the end of the tail. 



This animal may be considered, both anatomically and physiologically, 

 as divided into two parts, viz. the common animal part, and a part 

 which is superadded, viz. the peculiar organ. I shall at present con- 

 sider it only with respect to the last, as the first explains nothing relat- 

 ing to the last nor any thing relating to the animal economy of fish in 

 general. The first, or animal part, is so contrived as to exceed what 

 was necessary for itself, in order to give situation, nourishment, and 

 most probably the peculiar property to the second. The last part, or 

 peculiar organ, has an immediate connexion with the first ; the body 

 affording it a situation, the heart nourishment, and the brain and nerves 

 probably its peculiar powers. 



For the first of these purposes the body is extended out in length, 

 being much longer than what would be sufficient for the progressive 



1 [Hunt. Prep. Osteol. Series, No. 45.] 



