348 PLAGIOSTOMATA. 



that " a small specimen of this ray, 5 inches in breadth, taken with the species 

 mentioned below in Dublin Bay, is remarkable for having the body almost 

 destitute of spines ; those, however, which are found on the snout and the 

 anterior margin of the pectorals preserve the peculiar character of the species. 

 This want of spines on the body is the more remarkable, as Donovan's original 

 specimen was of even smaller size and was abundantly supplied with spines. In 

 all other respects the specimens are identical." 



Names. Starry ray, due to the stellate character of the bases of the spines 

 with which it is armed. Morcath anv, Welsh. La Baie Radiee, French. 



Habits. Of these but little is known. Mr. Sim writing from Aberdeen, in 

 November, 1881, remarks that this fish is not rare there ; on Saturday, October 

 29th, he counted forty-four in one lot in the market, rather more than half of 

 which were males. 



Habitat. This is essentially a northern species, being found in Iceland, 

 Greenland, Norway, and the Baltic as far as Scania. It becomes rare in the 

 Channel, but has occasionally been captured along the coast of France and during 

 winter in the Gulf of Gascony. 



It has been recorded as occasionally found off Banff (Edward) : Moray Firth 

 (Gordon) : at Aberdeen Sim recorded (Aberdeen Nat. Hist. Soc. 1878, p. 93) 

 " this species is quite abundant, their time of appearance being from the 

 beginning of May to the end of July. This season (1877) I have taken note of 

 all brought to market, and from May 14 to July 31, 107 were seen, 14 being 

 the highest number in one day." At the end of May, 1881, 1 found them equally 

 numerous when visiting Aberdeen. Not uncommon in the sandy flats at 

 St. Andrew's (Mcintosh) : Berwick Bay and Firth of Forth (Yarrell) : Yorkshire 

 (Meynell). 



The specimen figured is a young male, for which I am indebted to Mr. Sim of 

 Aberdeen : it is rather larger than the drawing. 



10. Raia circularis, Plate CLXXIV. 



Rata rubus, Lacep. i, p. 79, pi. v, f. 1, 2, 3 (not Linn.). 



Raia circularis, Couch, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1838, ii, p. 71, and Cornish Fauna, 

 p. 53 ; Van Beneden, Bull. Ac. Sc. Belg. 1865, xx, p. 48 ; Collett, Norges Fiske, 

 p. 214 ; Dumeril, Ich. i, p. 536 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 462 ; Moreau, Poiss. de 

 la France, i, p 397, p. 70 ; Giglioli, Cat. Pesc. Ital. p. 54. 



Raia spivosa, Yarrell, Brit. Fishes (ed. 2), ii, p. 574, c. fig. 



Raia falmvela, Bonap. Faun. Ital. Pesc. c. fig.; Dumeril, Ich. i, p. 550; 

 Canestrini, Fauna d'ltalia, Pesc. p. 56. 



Raia ncevus, Mull, and Henle, pp. 138, 194 ; Dumeril, 1. c. p. 549. 



Raia, sp. McCoy, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1841, vi, p. 495. 



Raia radula, Thompson, Nat. Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 262 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fishes 

 (ed. 3), ii, p. 574 ; White, Catal. p. 136. 



Raia miraletus, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, i, p. 112, pi. xxvii. 



Amblyraja circularis, Malm, Fauna, p. 608. 



Cuclcoo-ray and Sandy -ray, Couch, 1. c. pp. 112, 115, pi. xxvii, xxviii. 



Disk large, one-fourth wider than long, its posterior edge about one-third 

 shorter than its anterior, outer pectoral angles obtuse. Snout obtuse, but with its 

 end projecting ; length of tail slightly exceeding half of the total length. Eye 

 rather large, its diameter slightly less than the width of the interorbital space, 

 which latter is 2\ in the length of the snout. Spiracles close behind the orbit, 

 and nearly as wide. Mouth slightly arched in the middle, but otherwise trans- 

 verse. Teeth pointed, about 70 rows in the upper and a few rows less in the 

 lower jaw. The length of the interspace between the nostrils is rather less than 

 their distance from the end of the snout. Vent about two-sevenths nearer the end 

 of the snout than to the extremity of the tail. Fins the two dorsals rather close 

 together, near the end of the tail a rudiment of a caudal fin. Skin numerous 

 very fine spines over most of the surface of the disk, a few larger ones on the 



