330 CHONDROPTERYGII. RAY FAMILY. 



there are two strong spines in the corner of each eye, 

 and an interrupted series down the back. The 

 colour of the surface is brown or reddish brown, 

 marked all over with distinct roundish dusky spots; 

 and frequently there is a large ocellated spot on 

 each side of the pectorals towards the centre of the 

 disk. The dusky spots are sometimes placed pretty 

 closely, at other times are thinly scattered, and Mr. 

 Yarrell has seen specimens in which all traces of 

 them had disappeared. This fish is most frequent 

 along the southern coasts of England, and is perhaps, 

 next to the Thornback, the most common of the 

 Rays in the London market. On the east coast of 

 Scotland it is rarely met with. Seldom more than 

 six or eight examples are ol)served in the Edinburgh 

 market during the season, the largest scarcely ever 

 exceeding the length of twenty inches, but on the 

 English coast they are frequently found of three 

 feet in length. The synonyms appended to the 

 specific character in the Synopsis, will show what 

 difficulties naturalists have experienced in identify- 

 ing this species. 



(Sp. 241.) R. spinosa. Sandy Ray. This species 

 was first described by Mr. Couch in the Magazine 

 of Nat. Hist. (vol. ii. of the New Series), who states 

 that it was known to the fishermen by the name of 

 Sandy Ray. Mr. Yarrell has no doubt of its being 

 identical with the Raia radula of continental authors, 

 and therefore with the R. spinosa of Rondelet. " It 

 bears but a distant resemblance to the R. maculata 

 or Homelyn," says Mr. Couch " either in appear- 



