C '465 j, 
I weighed and meafured before it was touched by 
the differing knife, and found it to weigh fifty- 
three pounds avoirdupois, and to meafure four feet 
in length, two feet and a half in its extreme breadth, 
and four inches and a half in its extreme thicknefs. 
The largefl Torpedo I met with in the neigh- 
bourhood of la Rochelle, where upwards of fe- 
venty paffed through my hands, weighed little more 
than ten pounds, and meafured not quite two feet in 
length, nor quite fixteen inches in breadth: and the 
largefl I have read of is that mentioned by Rhedi to 
Lorenzini ( a \ weighing twenty-four pounds, with- 
out doubt of Leghorn, which make about eighteen 
avoirdupois. Though this Mediterranean Torpedo 
has been ever confidered as of an extraordinary fize, 
it is exceeded in weight nearly three to one by our 
enormous Britifh Torpedo. 
The back of it was of a dark afh-colour, with 
fomewhat of a purple cad, but not at all motled like 
thofe of the Atlantic Coafl of France, nor regularly 
marked with eyes, as they have been called, like 
feme found in the Mediterranean. Its under part 
was white, fkirted however with the fame afh- 
colour, which towards its tail became almofl uni- 
verlal. The fide fins being a little contracted and 
curled up, prevented the precife meafurement of its 
breadth, but it appeared to hold the general propor- 
tion obferved in thofe of la Rochelle ; that is, the 
breadth was two- thirds of the length W. Its eleCtric 
( n ) Lorenz. Off. intor. a!!e Torp. p. 4. 
( b ) The breadth of the Ray-Torpedo of Brazil is, accrding 
to Marcgrave, juft one-third of the length, falling in with the 
proportion of the Squatino-Raia. See Marcg. Lib. tv. Cap. 6. 
VouLXlV. O 0 0 organs 
