OSSEOUS PISHES. 
531 
In traversing the Lianas 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 them to the Cano de Bera, a muddy and 
stagnant basin, but surrounded by rich vegetation, in which Clusia 
■rosea, Hymencea cowrbaril, some grand Indian figs, and some magni- 
ficent flowering odoriferous mimosas, were pre-eminent. They were 
much surprised when informed that it would be necessary to take 
thirty halt-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 cabaUos (intoxicating by means of horses), is very 
odd. The word barbasco indicates the roots of the Lacquinia, 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 
horses and mules had arrived, and the Indians had made a sort of 
hattue, 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, whose 
branches 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 fre- 
quency and force of the shock, disappeared under the water, and some 
°f the horses, in spite of the watchfulness of the Indians, regained the 
hank, where, overcome by the shocks they had undergone, they stretched 
themselves at their whole length. The picture presented was now 
indescribable. Groups of Indians surrounded the basin ; the horses 
^ith bristling mane, terror and grief in their eyes, trying to escape 
from the storm which had surprised them; the eels, yellow and 
livid, looking like great aquatic serpents swimming on the surface of 
2 m 2 
