342 PLAGIOSTOMATA. 



efforts to escape. Off Cornwall Couch observes tliat the earliest he had met with 

 was taken in April. 



Uses. Oil is extracted from its liver. 



Habitat. The seas of western Europe, from those of the north to France 

 where it is pretty common, and through the Mediterranean, also as far south in 

 the Atlantic as Madeira. Resident in Yorkshire, and reported to be common in 

 the North Sea (Yorkshire Vertebrata) : it is also found along our south coast, 

 and has been obtained in Cornwall (Couch). 



The specimen figured is one-fifth natural size, and in the National collection. 



5. Raia fullonica, Plate CLXX. 



Baia, sp. no. 6, Artedi, Gen. p. 72, and Synon. p. 101. Shagreen Bay, 

 Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1776) iii, p. 87 (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 117; Shaw, Zool. v, 

 p. 281. 



Baia fullonica, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 396 ; Ascan. Icon. t. xliii ; Bl. Schn. 

 p. 367; Turton, p. Ill; Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 6; Fries. Vet. Ak. Handl. 1838, 

 p. 150, t. ii, f. 2 ; Mull, and Henle, p. 145 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fishes (ed. 1) ii, p. 578, 

 c. fig. (ed. 2) ii, p. 578 (ed. 3) ii, p. 577 ; Kroyer, Danm. Fisk. t. iii, p. 996, c.fig.; 

 White, Catal. p. 138 ; Nilss. Skand. Fauna, iv, p. 737 ; Collett, Norges Fiske, 

 p. 217 ; Gunther, Catal. viii, p. 467 ; Winther, Prod. Dan. Mar. p. 61 ; Giglioli, 

 Catal. Pesc. Ital. p. 54. 



Baia granulosa, Bl. Schn. p. 368. 



Baiaflossada, Risso, Eur. Merid. iii, p. 145. 



Baia chagrinea, Pennant, 1. c. ; Lacep. i, p. 81 ; Turton, p. Ill ; Montagu, Wern. 

 Mem. ii, p. 420, pi. xxi ; Parnell, Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin. 1840, xiv, p. 144, and 

 Wern. Mem. vii, p. 431, pi. xli ; Jenyns, Man. p. 513 ; Thompson, Nat. Hist. Ire- 

 land, iv, p. 260; Dumeril, Ich. i, p. 560 ; Moreau, Poiss. de la France, i, p. 401. 



Baia aspera, Flem. Brit. An. p. 172. 



Leucoraja fullonica, Malm, Faiina, p. 609. 



Shagreen Bay, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, i, p. 117, pi. xxix. 



Form of body rhomboidal ; the front edge of the disk concave and undulated, 



and one-third longer than the hind edge, which is convex. Snout cone-shaped 



and sharp. Disk rather wider than the distance from the end of the snout to the 



posterior extremity of the anal fin. The tail not quite so long as the disk. Eyes 



large, 4^ to 5 diameters from the end of the snout, and 3 to 3| apart. Spiracles 



close behind orbits, than which they are slightly smaller. Mouth large. Teeth 



pointed, and in about 64 rows in the upper and 56 in the lower jaw. Fins 



dorsals rather close together, small, and of equal size ; a rudimentary caudal. 



Shin on upper surface granulated to the touch, except at the base of the 



ventral and anal fins, where it is smooth. About four or six large and bent 



spines on the snout, and ten or twelve round the upper margin of the orbit. 



Along the centre of the back a row of about six spines, which about opposite the 



base of the ventral fin change into two rows, are continued as far as the dorsal 



fins, and increase in size posteriorly ; while two or three irregular rows of spines 



are situated along either side of the tail. No spines along the central line of 



the tail. Colours yellowish brown superiorly ; pure white beneath. Montagu 



mentions a specimen which had a few black spots. 



Names. The term Fuller s ray is derived from the instrument fullers use in 

 smoothing cloth, the back being rough and spiny (Pennant). Long-nosed dinnan, 

 Aberdeen (Sim). Bough jl<tj'j>rr, Edinburgh (Parnell). Dun cow, West country 

 (Montagu). Morcath ffreinig, Welsh. La Baie Chagrinee,Vrench. 



Habits. Frequents deep waters, and is not captured during the winter. 



As food. Inferior. 



Habitat. Along the coasts of western Europe and British Isles ; is taken 

 off France, but becomes rare in the Mediterranean. In the Moray Firth Mr. 

 McGregor only observed one specimen, which was taken in February on a line 

 at 50 fathoms depth, it was 2 feet 8| inches long (Couch) : Aberdeen (Sim): 

 Firth of Forth occasionally raptured in the stake nets in deep water, more 



