, 1876-01-08
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.

ELECTRlCAL FISHES:
Mt. r IT. e'"4e naH co"'1'pi'oa ~ 'ue fs''''
uo''""9 so 'u37'es''"s 'spt, W teA' nsAts,
IRON which we maHe :he ipIlo"sn8 ABSTRACT. AZ
the present dag, at least fou: aud possibly aix,
genera Of uehes possesslug electrical no era arc
snnu, ~ acenco rhc fonr NJ rhch ovsct
,..,.,.d,. t,,. hoo, ,o,n.a 80 a.. ,r',xn.,o
ano"'e1se has oeen sa'heo afs sne Aospeao,
tJmnosuB, MalaptcFusaa, anu 1etfonon; anu
tho rcmsining two. Of which tho information il
still uncertaD nra TIM Trich,n,,n n,, rlb]nnhatts
,ho -rorr.do H.. boa, +, m,,,- f-or, t,o o.-,{ou+
.i. +. I ssa..;,..n -. ..;..s.. "a 1,,',,,,
while Oalea and Dloscortues recommended its
shocks IN tho treatment OF headache
and ront Tvo eprcies a,o found In
A., r,.,t..,,,o,, n,a =, ,ho ..a+.,,
u" "ca's'tt ta. ""u va '.o
borders OF tue Aslatlt5c' aid diners hsse
been taken south OF Africa. on our own consts.
aud in the Caribbean Sen. The Hpecica captured
near the Capo Of Goud Hope rarely attain tuorc
80 ., -. .iF..a - 49,, H. IT..
tAan 'ncoea ~ 'e"etn' 'nuno VI tn1 Aiea'tet.
'anean ate, on tie average, ~ 'bcaea long W
broso: and those Ia English watcrs 'snet.mes
u.eaauro Az toet il !ouptu, aud weigh be;wcen
IN npd Inn uou.d.. In shape, the Torpedo IN
800. ~ ,.,'o eo f ~. -. .a.'I.., .ps a..
muea nke tae tAa'o u - so'nus. ano hui,
with tho t"o eyes Oh tho upper stdc, aud All
elongated tall kcolcd On botlI borders. In Eng
land II in conmon)v calod LIS cramn.DBh, numb
az ..a .too,r,, ,.r
neu' ~, anu ei.e"'e !a'.
Walsh ootefmintd the electrical Character ol si'e
shook Of the Torpedo IN 1772; tu his experiments
transmitting the stEokp through wi.es Otaer
c1pcrts hnys obtainad Visible sparks from tho
Gsl, aul decomnossd aatoc aul magac..
tzud ntesl by means OF It's galranic force.
Ordinarily tile Torpedo docs not g.ye shock
in respouse tI 4 t1aru touch, but 10 some dis
tines irritation, Sboa,d 4 lively fish fsay} Ii
charge u Que stroke ~ much electricity Rs enc
norsoa cau b-ar. For tmo tuo discharges sur-
ceed EACH other wt.tl great ran,tity mud iuteil-
rjty: but, When The creature has eucc exhausted
jtself, long ,oet Ii necessary ia which to genes-
ate now htock OF elect, Lefty. In the u ace OF
q ul,uute aud half, Wasl, obsa nod from Wig
or1un Turuodo tIlty ii cIx wllch Uc,c ttaus.
,tttad ~ mo. - - .r,-oa thronah aioLt rsr
lau ~ ~ "sa ~ u M.,' ~. Et ~ nr-.;,,c
SONS ~ once. INC hsh has tne han't OF palfllc
Inw,tt,usy ,t .luad.ue uu"n It sometimes rocolvo
the full po" cr OF It's batteries. wh.ch are. uudrr
TI,c 1;vmno,ms ~, ntcctr'c.i al IL n stil ,nore
;,;".s.t;x MI .i." ~" 't*r,", " ~ ,n,,aits
~. nj s ~ ,nth a'"s.is
ca, aud first attracted tho attention OF Europeans
iu tho later part Of tho aayeatecn,h century.
was o1nes ~ fon1an snd II .iutsctsd hy M
toau Au.ter and, later, Humboldt studlod Tho
!isA " thcir hal'se va ess. A!ally paso s'nce
been no snn1ect p e1per''nent ~ EnFohe.~oe
in the Aus,aldo UaIicry, Louaop, fur Some years,
.,J ~ ,;,rc rI,cni 81 tuo i., All NJ F'arabxy
nl.'t M ~ @ q .!.,S ~ 30 ia,.s ~ s:us liz .nrnys
iof pn. pores OF onse1'At.oa; M''a ,no stIees ~
from THIS lne 6TGak c'ccsflcian h'icceeuea III
| chhaF.nE rAguet1, eflest M cAeutlcA! decumpn-
| s,tious, and producing Flblp!e sparkH.
| There aye urpbau|y several nreslps OF Gymuo-
~. r.~r,nr Tn .ra,src lnn,tl, f,on, ~ ,nchan IN
tus sst,"t :" 80" oa,a" utin,, - li,,.,,,,ut
Hotp 1uaA .ect' spes.Ie % "u.su .ru.uoM4 - ,'...>
| sindlea III tAe n4 fbues ot LUG apufes "ae ot!see
Breeu iu hue, will, Two 70 ~ ol srots extenu,nS
] Jawu tue hack. One Specimen, III iuches lo!IS.
| we;pbat twelve nou,, ls In csp.u.iur tho (iy nj
"ntt tha nn,iyet ar1yo ho, nov or mnIet Into IAe
.. ,,nr, ,H t,.h rt,.nts v,,,, ,as,it .,,,,
"Atutu nAeto 1T ~ na': "Do: t,a, w." '"-''
| 'ssW" aess''ooa ~ .A"'1ee'a' -..-.-....
Tile extraordinary misc caused ly the hortea' hutfi
u,akes The hsu lssue tro. tue mud. sud s1cl:4 the
10 the utt4ck, TAe=u ysllo~iah and yld ellis, tesas
lug l4sSs aquatic s.r,ents on tbs surfa Vi tin
w.ttr ana crpY uultr tho loiex OF lie huiseI a1II
mules. heontest Cstwtsn aniuls ot 20 lii1sr.ns IN
organization presents = vurJ Striking .1ssesaclt,
oae. slender fted:. .astSand tLs pool s!o.;ly; .nd
.ilv aycr ,hn Of tuo wst.r, Uy thrir
vii rres. md ;us length ii trir retds they ssyunt