NATURAL HISTORY 
230 
TORPEDO. 
The Torpedo is a most singular animal, 
possessing an electric power, the nature of 
which has not yet been discovered. It lias 
a smooth skin ; the upper parts of the body 
are of a brown colour ; the lower parts white. 
It has small eyes, placed near each other; 
and there is a breathing hole, or round spi- 
racle, at the back of each eye, with six points 
inside. Its mouth is furnished with many 
sharp pointed teeth. The head and body 
are almost circular, and very indistinct. 
They grow to an immense size, and some 
have been found weighing from sixty to 
eighty pounds. They are common in several 
parts of the English coasts, and are frequently 
caught in Torbay: they arc also found in 
the Persian Gulf. 
