170 



DESCRIPTION OF THE 



escape from the storm which overtakes them, but 

 are driven hack by the Indians. A few. however, 

 succeed in eluding" the active vigilance of the fishers; 

 they gain the shore, stumble at every step, and 

 stretch themselves out on the sand, exhausted with 

 fatigue, and having their limbs benumbed by the 

 electric shocks of the gymnoti. 



" In less than five minutes two horses were killed. 

 The eel, which is five feet long, presses itself against 

 the belly of the horse, and makes a discharge along 

 the whole extent of its electric organ. It attacks at 

 once the heart, the viscera, and the caeliac plexus of 

 the abdominal nerves. It is natural that the effect 

 which a horse experiences should be more powerful 

 than that produced by the same fish on man, when 

 he touches it only by one of the extremities. The 

 horses are probably not killed, but only stunned ; 

 they are drowned from the impossibility of rising 

 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 make experiments. The results of Hum- 

 boldt'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 15f Troy pounds, and its trans- 

 verse diameter was 3 inches 1\ lines. The colour 

 was a fine olive-green ; the under part of the head 

 j^ellow 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 an- 



