292 



PISCES. 



Torpedo, Dum.(l) 



The tail short, but still tolerably fleshy; disk of the body nearly 

 circular, the anterior border being formed by two productions of 

 the snout which incline side-wise in order to reach the pectorals; 

 the space between these pectorals, head and branchise is filled on 

 each side with a singular apparatus formed of little membranous 

 tubes placed close together like a honeycomb, subdivided by hori- 

 zontal diaphragms into small cells filled with a sort of mucus, and 

 traversed by numerous nerves proceeding from the eighth pair. It 

 is in this apparatus that resides the electric or galvanic power 

 which has rendered the Torpedo so celebrated; violent shocks are 

 experienced by touching it, and it is most probable that the same 

 power is employed to bewilder its prey. The body is smooth, the 

 teeth small and sharp. 



Several species are found in the seas of Europe confounded 

 by Linnaeus and most of his successors under the name of 

 Raia torpedo. (2) 



T. mrke, Riss.; BL, 122; Rondel., 258 and 362. (The Ocel- 

 lated Torpedo.) Number of spots varying from five to one; no 

 fleshy indentations on the edges of the spiracles. 



T. galvanii, Riss.; Rondel. 363, 1. (The Galvanic Torpedo.) 

 Seven fleshy indentations round the spiracles; sometimes of a 

 uniform fawn-colour, and sometimes marbled, dotted, or spot- 

 ted with blackish. 



Several others are found in foreign seas. (3) 



Raia, Cuv. 



Rays, properly so called, have a rhomboidal disk, a thin tail, fur- 

 nished above and near its point with two small dorsals, and some- 

 times with the vestige of a caudal; small, slender, and crowded teeth 

 in quincunx order in the jaws. Many species inhabit the seas of 



(1) Torpedo, va>;t, ancient names of these fishes, derived from then- benumbing' 

 faculty. 



(2) The Torpille vulgaire d cinq taches. Torpedo narJce, Riss., llondcl., 358 and 

 362. 



Torpedo unimaculata, Riss., pi. iii, f. 3. 

 T. marmorata. Id., lb., f. 4, Rondel., 362. 

 T. galvanii. Id., lb., f. 5, Rondel., 363, f. 1. 



(3) Temeree, Russel, hNallatemeree, Id., 2;~the Raie chinoise, Lacep., I, ii, 

 2. Both of them being the Maia timlei, Bl, Schn., 359. 



