RAYS 67 



for chronic headache and for the gout ! "As the German and 

 Austrian watering places are still under a cloud," he writes 

 (in 1921), " we may yet see on the shores of Italy bands of 

 gouty and passionate pilgrims standing bare-legged, awaiting 

 the cure of the vapicri ! " 



TRUE RAYS. 



(Family Rajid^e.) 



Rays with the head, trunk and greatly enlarged pectoral 

 fins all united to form a flattened rhomboid disc, well marked 

 off from the somewhat long and stout tail, which has a fold 

 along each edge. There are usually 2 small dorsal fins, placed 

 close to the end of the tail, and sometimes a caudal fin. The 

 pectoral fins extend forward as far as the snout. There is no 

 saw-edged spine on. the back of the tail. The skin of the 

 upper surface is more or less roughened with spines or with 

 larger tubercles. 



These rays are found in most temperate seas. Fossil 

 remains date back to the Cretaceous period. Only the genus 

 of Skates and Rays (Raja) need concern us here. 



SKATES AND RAYS. 



(Genus Raja.) Fig. 28. 



The disc is nearly quadrangular or roughly circular in 

 shape. The snout is supported by a rostral cartilage which 

 projects forward from the front part of the skull. The eyes 

 are prominent. The mouth forms a nearly straight slit on 

 the under-side of the head, and is provided with several rows 

 of small teeth in each jaw set in pavement form. Each tooth 

 may end in a point, but is more often worn quite flat. The 

 fairly large spiracles are close to the eyes. There are 2 dorsal 

 fins, but the caudal fin is small or wanting altogether. The 

 pectoral fins are widely separated in front and do not reach 

 the end of the snout. The pelvic fins each have a conspicuous 

 notch in their hinder borders. The skin of the upper surface 

 is more or less roughened with small spines, but rarely with a 



