Digitalphilologie

Titel

Electrical eel

Jahr

1826

Ort

Hartford, Connecticut

Nachweis

in: Connecticut Courant (24. Januar 1826), Supplement, S. 71–72.

Sprache

Englisch

Typografischer Befund

Antiqua; Spaltensatz; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung.

Identifikation

Textnummer Druckausgabe: III.62
Dateiname: 1819-Baron_Humboldts_Personal_Heft1-19-neu

Statistiken

Seitenanzahl:	2
Spaltenanzahl:	2
Zeichenanzahl:	2374

Weitere Fassungen
	Baron Humboldt’s Last Volume. Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent. Vol. 4. London, 1819 (New York City, New York, 1819, Englisch)
	The gymnotus, or electrical eel (New York City, New York, 1819, Englisch)
	Humboldt’s Travels (London, 1819, Englisch)
	Electrical eels (Cambridge, 1819, Englisch)
	[Earthquake at Caraccas] (Cambridge, 1819, Englisch)
	Account of the Earthquake which destroyed the Town of Caraccas on the 26th March 1812 (Edinburgh, 1819, Englisch)
	Account of the earthquake that destroyed the town of Caraccas on the twenty-sixth march, 1812 (Liverpool, 1819, Englisch)
	Sur les Gymnotes et autres poissons électriques (Paris, 1819, Französisch)
	An Account of the Earthquake in South America, on the 26th March, 1812 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1820, Englisch)
	[Earthquake at Caraccas] (Hartford, Connecticut, 1820, Englisch)
	Account of the Elecrical Eels, and of the Method of catching them in South America by means of Wild Horses (Edinburgh, 1820, Englisch)
	Observations respecting the Gymnotes, and other Electric Fish (London, 1820, Englisch)
	[Earthquake at Caraccas] (Hallowell, Maine, 1820, Englisch)
	Earthquake in the Caraccas (London, 1820, Englisch)
	Sur les Gymnotes et autres poissons électriques (Paris, 1820, Französisch)
	[Earthquake at Caraccas] (Hartford, Connecticut, 1821, Englisch)
	Earthquake at Caraccas (London, 1822, Englisch)
	Earthquake at the Caraccas (Shrewsbury, 1823, Englisch)
	Electrical eel (Hartford, Connecticut, 1826, Englisch)
	Baron Humboldt’s observation on the gymnotus, or electrical eel (London, 1833, Englisch)
	The gymnotus, or electric eel (London, 1834, Englisch)
	Earthquake at Caraccas in 1812 (Hartford, Connecticut, 1835, Englisch)
	Earthquake at Caraccas (London, 1837, Englisch)
	Electrical eels (London, 1837, Englisch)
	Female presence of mind (London, 1837, Englisch)
	An earthquake in the Caraccas (London, 1837, Englisch)
	An Earthquake (Leipzig; Hamburg; Itzehoe, 1838, Englisch)
	Das Erdbeben von Caraccas (Leipzig, 1843, Deutsch)
	The Gymnotus, or Electrical Eel (Buffalo, New York, 1849, Englisch)
	Anecdote of a Crocodile (Boston, Massachusetts; New York City, New York, 1853, Englisch)
	Battle with electric eels (Goldsboro, North Carolina, 1853, Englisch)
	Anecdotes of crocodiles (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1853, Englisch)
	Das Erdbeben von Caracas (Leipzig, 1858, Deutsch)

|71||Spaltenumbruch|

ELECTRICAL EEL.

This eel (gymnotus electricus) aboundsin the lower provinces of Venezuela andCarraccas. It possesses the singular facul-ty of stunning its prey by an electrical dis- |72||Spaltenumbruch|charge. The old road near Urutica hasbeen actually abandoned, on account ofthe danger experienced in crossing a ford,where the mules were from the effect ofconcealed shocks, often paralyzed anddrowned. Even the angler sometimes re-ceives a stroke, conveyed along his wettedrod and fishing line, (four feet long.) Thesensation is highly painful, and leaves anumbness in the part affected. It resem-bles the effect of a blow on the head. TheIndians dread them so that I was obligedto go myself to assist in taking them. I was conveyed to a pool of muddy,stagnant water, and soon witnessed a novelspectacle. About 30 horses and muleswere immediately collected from the ad-jacent savannahs, where they run halfwild, and are only valued seven shillings ahead when the owners happened to beknown. These, the Indians hem on allsides, and drive into the marsh; thenpressing the edge of the water, or climbingalong the extended branches of the trees,armed with long bamboos or harpoons,they with loud cries push the animals for-ward or prevent their retreat. The gym-noti, roused from their slumbers by thisnoise and tumult, mount near the surfaceand swim, like so many livid water ser-pents, briskly pursue the intruders, andgliding under their bellies, dischargethrough them the most violent and repeat-ed shocks. The horses, convulsed andterrified, their mane erect, and their eyesstarting with pain and anguish, make una-vailing struggles to escape. In less thanfive minutes, two of them sunk under thewater and were drowned. Victory seem-ed to declare for the electric eels. Butthe activity now began to relax. Fatiguedby such expense of nervous energy, theyshot their electric discharge with less fre-quency and effect. The surviving horsesgradually recovered from the shock andbecame more composed and vigorous.In a quarter of an hour the eels retiredfrom the contest, and in such a state of languor and complete exhaustion, thatthey were easily dragged on shore bymeans of harpoons fastened on cords.This is called, in allusion to catching fishby an infusion of narcotic plants, poisoningwith horses.—Humboldt’s Narrative.

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