1114 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



of the spines, an aculeus or two may sometimes be 

 forced in even to tlie middle of the upper caudal 

 sui'face. 



By the coloration ilouKAU distinguished between 

 three varieties: fahavela, with plain, brownish or red- 

 dish gray (clay-coloured) dorsal side; n(etnis, with the 

 base of each pectoral fin spotted with a large ocellus, 

 the middle of which is black but crossed by rather 

 broad, yellowish white streaks; circularis, with nume- 

 rous, but smaller, syinmeti-ically arranged, simple spots, 

 light (cream-white) or dark, scattered on the dorsal 

 side of the disk. The venti-al side is white. 



The Sandy Ray has an extensive geographical 

 range, more southern and to the north more pelagic 

 than that of the Starry Ray. Its true home in the 

 ( )ld World lies in the [Mediterranean and the adjoining 

 jjarts of the Atlantic, but it is frequently found even 

 so far north as on the fishing-banks oft' the south-west 

 of Norway, where IMalm w^s the first to observe it among 

 the take of fish at Jaderen. Even in the Skager Rack 

 it has been met w ith, Init only once, so far as is known. 

 On the 12th of July, 1879, Theel and Foesstrand 

 took two specimens in a deep-sea trawl at a depth of 

 370 fathoms, oft' Arendal, on a bottom of fine, brown 

 clay. One specimen was a male 33 cm. long and not 



yet arrived at maturity", the other a female 4.j cm. in 

 length. Round the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland 

 the Sandy Ray would appear to be commoner (Day), 

 but in France it is stated to be rare (Mokeau). Yet, 

 like the Starry Ray, it is apparently an inhabitant of 

 the West Atlantic too, where Mitchill's" and Stoker's' 

 Ilaja oceUata and H. diaphaties from the east coast of 

 the United States can hardly be distinct in species from 

 our Sandy Rav. As Mokeau has remarked, the Sandv 

 Ray was certainly known to Lacei>ede; but the name 

 he conferred upon it was incorrect and has been so 

 misused that it iiardlv deserves recognition. When the 

 synonymy of the species has been fully elucidated, the 

 point will be decided whether the systematic name em- 

 ployed in America has not most right to emplcnment. 

 Where Malm first found the Sandy Y\u\. it had 

 l)een taken on long-lines in company \vith all the 

 other common Rays of Scandinavian waters, except 

 the Starry Ray; and its manner of life is probablv 

 much the same as that of its congeners. As food, ac- 

 cording to Couch, it is little esteemed in England, 

 where it is mostly used to bait lobster-pots and ei-ab- 

 pots. From s])ring till the end of autumn it may be 

 found on the English coast in \vater of a moderate 

 deptii; during winter it lives farther from land. 



Sectio II. Rajge Iseves, Skates. Snout loiii/, tip of the snout acitte-atifilcd: length of the snout from the 

 tip to the transverse line through the Ijody at the centre of the eves more than half as long as this trans- 

 verse line. 



These Rays possess so-c;dled ordinary aculei only at the eyes and along the spinal column and tail, no 

 further ordinary aculei being scattered on the surface of the bodv. All have pointed teeth. 

 A: Ventral side of the body white, without spots. — White Skates. 



These Skates have the two dorsal fins set close together, never with interjacent aculeus. Their under sur- 

 face is entirely free from spots, they have ordinary aculei both on the back and the tail, and the lobate pupil- 

 lid originating from the ii-is is absent. In size they are intermediate between the Bajce duvata' and the true 

 BajcB laves. They live at a great depth and seldom approach the coasts of Scandinavia. (Fries.) 



" Trans. Lit., Phil. Soc. N. Y., vol. I, p. 477. 



' Mem. Anier. Acail. Arts, Sc, Boston, N. ser., vol. IX, p. 240, tab. XXXIX, tig. 1. 



