OVA OF THE SKATE-FISH. 



Having discovered that a peculiar-looking substance, apparently the seed of 

 some kind of sea-weed, was, in fact, the egg of the Skate-fish, I was induced to 

 examine the same more minutely : in doing which I made the following observa- 

 tions : — 



This egg is of a pale sea-green colour, becoming darker with age ; in form it is 

 a quadrangle, having at each corner long tuberous projections run- 

 ning parallel to each other from the narrow side of the shell, thus : ^) d! 

 These horn-like tubes are open at their ends, through which the 

 sea-water is admitted. The shell is tough, elastic, and extremely difficult to open 

 — indeed not easily with the assistance of a knife — and very liable to shrink when 

 laid to dry, unless it is first filled with sand. They differ much in size, depending, 

 I am inclined to believe, on the size of the fish. On some shells I have observed 

 sea-weed growing — an interesting fact, as it shows either the rapidity with which 

 sea-weed will spring up, or the length of time before the fish is perfect ; perhaps 

 both, for one fish, which appeared on the verge of breaking the shell, I kept for 

 examination, and it was one month before it assumed a perfect state. 



As it would be tedious to mention the state of perfection the fish was found in, 

 I will confine myself to the following observations : — 



On opening the shell, a substance, having motion, is found, but so little form- 

 ed as scarcely to be ascertained what it is. It is an embryo fish, attached by a 

 tough sinuous substance* (rather difficult to cut in two) to the upper surface of 

 something of the size and shape of a Sparrow's egg. Though in its earliest stage 

 a person may conjecture what it is, yet, from its shapeless appearance, no one can 

 speak with any certainty. It has a pale, watery appearance, and moves its tail with 

 difficulty, as though it was a piece of sinew — a motion it possesses before it is 

 spawned.f The pale colour becomes red, until it has the appearance of raw flesh, 

 owing to the skin being transparent ; it afterwards has the outward resemblance 

 of a full-grown Skate. 



The egg is covered with innumerable blood-vessels branching from one main 

 trunk, which takes its rise from underneath the sinew by which the fish is attach- 

 ed to it, and running in parallel directions down the sides, are ultimately united to 

 another large blood-vessel which runs into the same place from which the former 

 main, trunk sprung. From this I am inclined to suppose that the former is an 

 artery conveying the nutritious blood through the egg; having performed that 



• This substance I had to cut with a penknife. 



•j- This statement appears correct ; for one of these fish (in its earliest stage), having 

 died, was cut from the egg to examine the latter, and then put aside : it soon dried up and 

 became perfectly flat. 



