220 
MISCELLANY. 
any ordinary instance of sagacity in the Dog, that one is almost tempted to pro¬ 
nounce it a real case of ratiocination.—As the steamer approached, a little Dog, 
seemingly a terrier, was seen to issue from a bothy used by the Salmon fishermen, 
and waded into the water till nothing was observed but the animal’s nose. It 
immediately returned, however, with the end of the rope to which the net-floats 
are fixed, which it carried a considerable distance upon the ground, where it 
carefully left it high and dry. Now, as every one may know, just before the 
advance of a steam-boat in a narrow river, the water, owing to the action of the 
paddles, suddenly subsides, and as suddenly again rushes in violent waves above 
the water-mark. Had not the Dog known this, and taken proper precaution, the 
rope and floats would to a certainty have been carried off. This curious incident 
elicited the strongest admiration from all the passengers .—Correspondent of the II 
Scotsman , Aug. 1838. 
Experiments on the Electric-eel. —Some highly interesting facts will shortly 
be made public, the result of a series of experiments upon the living specimens 
of the Electric-eel (Gymnotus electricus ), which was brought to this country 
from the Amazon a few months since. On Monday last, Dr. Faraday, in the 
presence of Professors Daniell, Owen, Wheatstone, and others, succeeded in 
obtaining from it the electric spark; and one of the party, who had the temerity 
to grasp the creature with both hands, had his curiosity satisfied with a shock, 
which, if he were before incredulous, must have most effectually removed all 
doubts as to the electric properties of the animal. The electricity appears to be 
of the most intense character, being communicated by simply immersing the 
hands in the vessel of water containing the Eel. By one shock not only was 
the needle of a galvanometer deflected, but chemical action and magnetic induc¬ 
tion obtained. When this ichthyological rarity was first exhibited, at a meeting 
of the Zoological Society, by the gentleman who brought it over, and in whose 
possession it had then been for a considerable time, he stated that it ought to be 
kept entirely without food. Judging, however, from the very unceremonious 
manner in which we saw an intruder in the shape of a live Gudgeon disposed of, 
we should almost be inclined to question the philosophy of his recommendation.— 
Athenaeum , Oct. 27, 1838. 
Sense of Hearing in Fish. —In order to ascertain the truth of a common 
assertion, that fish can hear voices in conversation on the banks of a stream, my 
friends and myself selected, for close observation, a Trout poised about six inches 
deep in the water, while a third, who was situated behind the fishing-house, 
diametrically opposite to the side where the fish lay, fired off one barrel of his 
gun. The possibility of the flash being seen by the fish was thus wholly pre¬ 
vented, and the report produced not the slightest apparent effect upon him. The 
second barrel was then fired; still he remained immovable, evincing not the 
