SKATE. 



563 



the line of the upper surface of the body, with a short, hard 

 tubercle in the front of each, and a second on the inner side 

 of each ; the irides yellow ; the temporal orifices valvular, 

 and placed close behind : the dorsal ridge of the body with- 

 out spines till near the origin of the ventral fins ; then com- 

 mence a single row on the centre, reaching along the tail as 

 far as the first of the two small fins, all the points of the 

 spines directed backwards ; one spine between the two small 

 dorsal fins. On the sides of the tail of a female of small size 

 there were no lateral spines ; but in a young male of the 

 same size, there were several lateral spines on each side, the 

 points of which were directed forwards, and are in that respect 

 characteristic of this species. The colour of the upper sur- 

 face of the body and tail greyish-brown : the margins anterior 

 to the angles of the pectoral fins tinged with reddish-brown ; 

 those behind the angles brownish-black, darker than the 

 body : the colour on the under surface is sooty white, with 

 dark lines in various directions, and numerous mucous pores 

 looking like blue specks with small sharp points disposed 

 among them over the surface. The nostrils are valvular, half 

 the width of the mouth in advance of each of its angles ; the 

 mouth rather wide ; the teeth in this species are sharp in 

 both sexes when adult, the inner angles of the central teeth 

 beginning to elongate in specimens when they are about 

 twelve inches in breadth across the body. 



I may here add that the true Skate, the subject of the pre- 

 sent article, the Long-nosed Skate, the Sharp-nosed Skate, 

 and the Flapper Skate, which precede it, are, in some lo- 

 calities, included under the general term of Skate, from their 

 similarity in colour. 



