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326 CHONDROPTERYGir. RAY FAMILY. 



skate was first described by Dr. Parnell, from whose 

 Essay on the Fishes of the Firth of Forth we extract 

 the following particulars regarding it. Its specific 

 character is, that the body on the upper surface is 

 smooth, the under side of a dark dusky grey ; one 

 or more spines in front of each eye. It appears to 

 be a connecting link between Haia batis and R. Qxy^ 

 rhynchus^ to both of which it is closely allied, and 

 it is from that circumstance that it has been named 

 R. intermedia. It is distinguished from the former 

 by the surface being perfectly smooth without granu- 

 lations, and of a dark olive colour spotted with 

 white ; by the anterior part of each orbit being fur- 

 nished with a strong spine pointing backwards ; by 

 the dorsal fins being more remote from each other, 

 and by the anterior margins of the pectorals being 

 rather more concave, giving the snout a sharper 

 appearance. It is removed from R. oxyrhynchus^ 

 on the other hand, by the snout being conic, the 

 under surface being dark grey, a spine in front of 

 each orbit, and the back of a dark olive-green spot- 

 ted with white. Dr. Parneirs specimens were ob- 

 tained in the Firth of Forth. A variety was also 

 taken in the salmon-nets at Queensferry, which was 

 of small size, of a uniform olive-green without spots, 

 under surface dark grey; body very thin; snout 

 sharp and conical ; pectorals at their anterior mar- 

 gin rather sinous, passing off somewhat suddenly at 

 that part in a line with the temporal orifices. 



(Sp. 237.) R. batis. Skate, Blue-skate or Grey- 

 skate. This may be regarded as the most common 



