such vast distances. The eggs hatch into transparent leaf-like leptocephalus larvae with chevron- 

 shaped muscles along the body and a small round head with two shining black eyes. 



At first described as a separate species, this larva was identified in 1886 by Y.Delage, who 

 kept it in the aquarium at Roscoff and followed its change into a small 3 J inch conger. The 

 bluish- coloured young fishes live in-shore among brown seaweeds or under stones. When about 

 two feet long, the fishes move down the continental shelf to lead a bottom-dwelling existence. 

 The conger-eel spawns but once in its life. Just before this, it stops feeding and takes on the 

 appearance of an abyssal fish. It becomes darker in colour and the eyes, especially in the males, 

 are enormously enlarged. Being a markedly catadromous fish, it then moves down into the 

 depths, from where it never returns, and where it dies. 



In sweeping over the bottom, the large and heavy "foot-part" of the trawl stirs up rays 

 and flat-fishes in front of it, fishes that were lying close to the ground. On being disturbed they 

 leave the gravel, sand or mud with which their colours harmonise, their movements now being 

 confused. Not knowing where to turn, they are engulfed by the gaping mouth of the otter- 

 trawl. When they are brought to the surface their upturned underparts or immaculate sides 

 flash white among the catch. 



The many species of rays have a lozenge-shaped body and a slender tail. The snout may 

 be extremely pointed (skates) or short and blunt (rays). First, there are the large " pocheleaux" , 

 which can exceed 6 feet in length, the flapper skate, (Haia talis), with pale spots on its yellowish 

 back, and the bordered ray, (B. marginala) with greyish, tending to dark-brown, colours. The 

 short-nosed rays have colours varying from "chamois" to grey : the smooth ray ( R. asterias) 

 is dotted with small dark spots right to the edge of the disc; in the spotted ray ( li. maciilaia) these 

 spots are larger and fewer and there is a pale patch on each wing; the small-eyed painted-ray 

 (B. microcellala) is greyish with white, wavy bands more or less following the outlines of the body ; 

 the undulate-ray (B. undulala) is more brilliantly coloured, for its mahogany-tinted body has 

 strikingly dark bands edged with white dots and curving into graceful arabesques; in the flow- 

 ered-ray (B. miraletus) each of the light-beigecoloured wings bears a beautiful eye-spot and yellow 

 or white designs edged with black or purple stand out on a brown background ; the thornback- 

 ray (B. clavata) has white and grey marblings and the skin is set with sharp spines that rest on 

 knob-hke bases. All these rays are taken by trawlers in the Celtic Sea, but many other kinds 

 live in other seas. 



Paired rays may often be found in the trawl and on the hooks of line fishermen. Even 

 when taken from the water they do not separate and remain clasped together until they die. 

 The males have long cartilaginous appendages, called pterygopodia or claspers, on each side of 

 the pelvic fins, and these are inserted into the cloaca of the females. Furthermore, in a number 

 of species, these claspers bear spines which help to keep the pair together. The eggs are enclosed 

 in a quadrangular, opaque shell which is tough and horny and bordered laterally by long crests 

 forming horns at the front and back. These horns anchor the eggs in light-soiled grounds. The 

 shape and size of the shells varies according to the species, those of the skate being rather more 

 than 6 inches in length. Rays live from coastal regions down to depths of some 800 fathoms. 

 Now and then, while sorting out the rays, a fisherman swears loudly on getting a sudden electric 

 shock that slightly numbs his arm. He has just put his hand on a torpedo-ray. This round- 

 bodied fish has a muscular tail and may reach a length of more than 3 feet. The power of the 

 electric organs, which are placed on either side of the body, has been much exaggerated. The 

 torpedoes (Torpedo marinorala, T. oculala and T. nobiliana) are viviparous. But it is more 

 dangerous for the fishermen to be wounded by the saw-edged spine that is set in the whip-like 

 tail of a sting-ray (Trygon pastinaca). This large, black ray can crush all kinds of shell-fishes 

 in its powerful jaws and the "pavement-mouth" as it is called, is a terror to oyster-culturers. 

 The tail spine is poisonous and may cause serious inflammation. 



Lying among these animals are the brown bodies of monk-fishes (Sqiialina sqiiaiina), 

 which look like flattened sharks. The expanded wings are not fused to the head and the gill 

 slits are concealed in their axils. These bulky and sluggish animals are viviparous and may 

 measure from 5 to 6 i feet in length. The large females move quietly along the bottom, surrounded 

 by twenty or so young fishes which lash their muscular tails in their efforts to follow the adults. 



61 



