48 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



Food: Fishes. The walls of the alimentary canal in this fish are very thick 



and possess great digestive power. 

 Size: Two to 5 feet long. Maximum weight 300 pounds; average, 150 



pounds; small ones infrequent. 



DASYATID^. The Sting Rays. 



15. Dasyatis centrura (Mitchill). Sting Ray. 

 Geog. Dist. : Coast of Maine to Cape Hatteras. 



Season in R. I.: Said to have been very common formerly and as large as 

 a foot thick, but are small and few at the present time. Most abundant 

 the last part of July and through August and September. 



Food: Large species of invertebrates such as crabs, squid, clams, sea snails. 

 Sometimes small fishes and annelids. 



Size: Reaches a length of 10 or 12 feet. 



16. Dasyatis hastata (Dekay). 



Geog. Dist.: West Indies north to Rhode Island. 



The type specimen originally described by DeKay in 1842 was a female cap- 

 tured in September off the Rhode Island coast. (DeKay, New York 

 Fauna, Fishes, 1842, 373.) 



17. Pteroplatea maclura (LeSueur) . Butterfly Ray; Angel-fish. 

 Geog. Dist. : Wood's Hole to Brazil. 



Season in R. I.: Rare. The type specimen of this species described by 

 LeSueur was taken in 1817. (LeSueur, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1817, 

 41.) In July, 1900, a specimen 23 inches long was taken in the southern 

 part of Narragansett Bay by the Lewis Brothers of Wickford. 



Food: Fishes, shrimp, lamellibranchs, annelids. 



MYLIOBATID^. The Eagle Ray.s. 



18. Myliobatis f reminvillei (LeSueur) . Sharp-headed Ray; Sting Ray. 

 Geog. Dist. : Cape Cod to Brazil. 



Season in R. I.: Not very common. The original type specimen described 

 by LeSueur was taken in 1824 from Rhode Island. (LeSueur, Jour. Ac. 

 Nat. Sci. Phila., IV, 1824.) DeKay mentions specimens from Rhode 

 Island. (DeKay, New York Fauna, Fishes, 1842, 376.) Mr. John O. 

 Lewis of Wickford says several have been taken in traps near Saunders- 

 town, Narragansett Bay. 



Food: Chiefly molluscs, which they crush with their large grinding teeth. 



