198 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
amid the prolonged struggle between the other horses 
and eels.” 
The gymnoti at length dispersed, and approached 
the edge of the pool, when five of them were taken 
by means of small harpoons fastened to long cords. 
A few more were caught towards evening, and there 
was thus obtained a sufficient number of specimens 
on which to maké experiments. The results of 
Humboldt’s observations on these animals may be 
stated briefly as follows :— 
The gymnotus is the largest electrical fish known, 
some of those measured by him being from 5 feet 4 
inches to 5 feet 7 inches in length. One, 4 feet 1 
inch long, weighed 152 Troy pounds, and its trans- 
verse diameter was 3 inches 74 lines. The colour 
was a fine olive-green ; the under part of the head 
yellow mingled with red. Along the back are two 
rows of small yellow spots, each of which contains 
an excretory aperture for the mucus, with which 
the skin is constantly covered. The swimming- 
bladder is of large size, and before it is situated 
another of smaller dimensions ; the former separated 
from the skin by a mass of fat, and resting upon the 
electric organs, which occupy more than two-thirds 
of the fish. 
It would be rash to expose one’s self to the first 
shocks of a very large individual,—the pain and 
numbness which follow in such a ease being ex- 
tremely violent. When in a state of great weak- 
ness, the animal produces in the person who touches 
it a twitching, which is propagated from the hand 
to the elbow; a kind of internal vibration lasting 
two or three seconds, and followed by painful torpi- 
dity, being felt after every stroke. Theelectric energy 
