The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-08-15
ELECTRIC EBLs.
How They "shoeko Man and Fish=Pis.
batotIoI NJofbiuesl

How They "shoeko Man and Fish=Pis.
L. batoriaI NTashiness
Those electric cells iii the New York
Aquarium are specimens OF the real
gymnotus, and came per schooner Ma
graba, Capt. George Abbott, from the
Amazon river, South America. Their
length is almost four feet they are
thicker in the body than the largest
common ell. There are two, and they
are in two adjoining tanks, glass on
both sides. When they were trans.
fefred from their small travelling boxes
into the more spacious tanks of the
Aduaritim, they were very restless, and
one of the attendants experienced, with.
out intending it, their electric power,
which notwithstanding the fatigue of a
long journey, was very respectable. A
slight touch Of the smooth, Shiny body
was sufficient to communicate such a
severe shock that the man was complain
ing for several hours later Of unusual
pains in his shoulder and elbows.
The excitement OF the fishes upon being
placed in their new quarters was very
great. They dashed through their tanks
in all directions, forward and backward /;
tried to jump out, and splashed the
water all over the neighborhood. 1t
took them long time to get quiet.
lively yellow perch was put into the
tank OF one Of the cells, catfish into
that of the other. The presence of the
strange visitors excited the cells, and
they made directly for them, touching
their bodies in several places with the
end OF their plump snouts. 1t looked as
If they intended to bore into the bodies
OF the fishes. Both the perch and the
catfish palpitated violently at the moment
when the eels touched them, exactly like
person who gets a shock from an elec-
trio machine when unprepared for it.
The perch seemed to have been hit vio-
lently SO that it lost its balance, and
with open mouth, swan on its side. Yet
it required only short while for both
fishes to recover, and in two or three
minutes they were swimming around ap-
parently as vigorous as before. The eels
renewed their attacks, but the result
was weaker in both of them, and it real
ly seemed as If they were not able to kill
the fishes by their mysterious power.
The contest continued, and one of the
cells gradually got more excited. Instead
of merely touching the perch with the
end OF his snout, it opened its mouth and
laid both lips close to the body of the
fish. The electric discharges became
more frequent at the same time, and in
about seventy-fve minutes the perch
was dead. The catfish, however, sus
tained all the discharges OF its deadly
companion without any apparent conse
quences.
An unexpected observation, and which
we believe has never been mentioned by
any naturalist before DR.. Dorner, is the
remarkable way in which these eels
breathe. AS is generally known, the re
spiratory movements consist in alternate
ly opening and closing the mouth ant
gill slit, and only when the fishes are in
want of air, having had an insufficient
| supply from the water, they ascend to tn,
surface in order to swallow air from thu
atmosphere. Only q few fishes, whicl
are remarkable for their large, cellulatet
air bladder, as, for instance, the gar pike
or the fresh water dogfish, come to tn
surface regularly in order to inhale ant
exhale air in the same way that seals ant
whales do. The dogfish does this abou
twice in an hour, the gar pike at mucl
longer intervals, and both fishes, whel
under the surface, open and close thei
mouths and gill slits quite regularly
like all other fishes. The electric eel
however, takes the greatest part of it
respiratory air directly from the atmos
pere, at intervals of one or two minutes
sc metimes less, sometimes more, bu
generally not slower than the seal.
Each of the electric cells of the aqus
rum comes to the surface, brings th
end of its snout into the air, takes pol
tion of it. the throat becoming wider
and in the next NONE mt it gulps the ai
down, or lets it escape through one {
the gill openings. Sometimes, whe
resting at the bottom, the eel allows
great quantity of air to escape by dee
notch in the center of the lower jaw
permitting this escape without openin
its mouth. In regard to e1halatio
there is great irregularity-sometime
the air escapes through one, sometime
through the other of the gill openings
sometimes through the mouth. Th
quantity of the outgoing air is ais
changeab)e, being sometimes four time
greater than at other times; but the il
haling is quite regular.
The electric eel has two connected a
bladders two and half feet long, an
therefore there is no doubt of its actin
as real lung. The length of the blat
ders comprises two-thirds of the entil
body. No doubt the air bladders are {
greater importance in the respiratol
functions Of the electric eels than Il
gills.
This accounts for the fact that IL
respiratory movements noticed in otht
fishes for hours are totally absent in tt
electric eels. Several visitors, aft
watching the creatures few moment
believed them to be dead until Il
ascending movement convinced them
their being alive. 1t is only at long j
tervals that the mouth is slightly open,
and closed while in the water, and
these instances the coming to the su
face ceases for length of time. Pc
haps the animal sleeps at this time. l
eyes, though, are so small it is difficu
. to tell whether they are open or not
NeaO York Sun.