102 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 



tail measuring 335 mm. Viviparity in this ray is effected by a uterus 

 lined with villi presumably secreting a milk for the nourishment of the 

 young. 



Rhinoptera bonasus (Mitchill). 



COW-NOSED RAY; WHIP-RAY; " WHIPPAREE." 

 Two specimens of this interesting ray were collected by me in Newport 

 River. The first, which was about 26-28 inches wide, was a male in full 

 breeding condition possessed of the most enormous testis I have ever seen 

 in any ray. Both lobes reached forward clear to the anterior portion of 

 the stomach, extending nearly from one end of the abdominal cavity to 

 the other. 



The other specimen was a female, 28 inches wide, 18 inches long to the 

 tips of the pelvic fins, and had a tail 23>£ inches in length. The oviducts 

 were non-fertile and almost indistinguishable. The large ovaries presented 

 2 interesting structures. They were paired but the dorsal side of the left 

 one only contained a large number of smallish eggs, was "warty" with 

 them as my notes put it. In the hinder part of the abdomen was found 

 a median unpaired lobe of the ovary attached to the median line but 

 seeming to fall to the left in order to lie at ease. 



This ray is not an unusual one at Beaufort. Both these specimens, like 

 others previously examined by me, had the intestine and spiral gut filled 

 with clams without a trace of shell. 



Mobula olfersi (Midler & Henle). 



SMALL DEVIL-FISH. 



As on preceding summers, Coles was very successful in taking these 

 interesting rays, capturing no fewer than 11. The periodicity of migra- 

 tion of these rays is very interesting. At the Cape in 1910 Coles took 9 

 between July 6 and 9; in 1911, 14 between July 6 and 29; and in 1912, 7 

 between July 7 and 29. He thinks that Cape Hatteras is their northern 

 limit of migration. One of the 1912 specimens contained an embryo 

 about 2 inches in diameter, but since this was spawned in the seine it 

 was unfortunately lost. 



Ganoidei. 



Acipenser oxyrhynchus Mitchill. 



SHARP-NOSED STURGEON. 



There have been reports of the occasional capture of sturgeons in the 

 Beaufort region, but such are rare. In 10 seasons' collecting and study 

 of fishes there I have never until the present summer caught any or 

 heard of any being taken. On May 24 I took 2 young specimens at 

 Rock fish Rock in the Narrows of Newport River. Here, where the fresh- 

 water river enters the head of the estuary of the same name, the water 

 was at this time hardly more than medium brackish. 



One of these sturgeons was 17 inches long over all and had 10 dorsal 

 plates, 27 lateral, and 11 ventral ones. The other was 17 3 4 inches long 

 and its plates were, dorsal 10, lateral 28, ventral 11. In color both were 



