Starks: Ichthvolooical Survey ahout San Juan Islands. 165 



TIu> snout is 3 in lcn.u:lli to the inner ani;lc of pectoral; the intcror- 

 bital space from 3.25 to 3.75 in snout; width of interspiracle 2.33 to 

 2.66 in snout. A line drawn l)etween the outer angles of the body crosses 

 the median longitudinal line twice the length of the snout from the 

 tip of the snout, or varying to half the diameter of the eye less than 

 this distance. The spiracle from its posterior edge to the posterior 

 edge of the iris is equal to the length of the iris, or to the posterior edge 

 of the eye-ball is contained 2 times in the eye-ball. Holding the outer 

 lobe of the ventral straight back and measuring from the bottom of 

 the notch in the i)osterior edge of the ventral to its tip the distance is 

 equal to the interorbital width, or a little greater. Holding the edge 

 of the anterior ventral lobe so that it is at a right angle with the 

 posterior lobe a deep rounded notch is left in its posterior edge. The 

 anterior half of the rostral ridges are fused to- 

 gether. The nearest point on the edge of the 

 disk from the anterior edge of the eye-ball is 

 equal to the width of the inter-spiracle or a 

 little less. The general outline of the anterior 

 margin of the disk is deeply concave with a 

 slightly convex median area. The least dis- 

 tance from this median area to a straight line 



drawn from the tip of the snout to the outer ^'^- ^- ^^J*^ ''^^"'^^ 



, , , , . , , . 1 . , Female 32 inches long, to 



edge of the pectoral is equal to the interorbital ,_ ,. ^ r . r 



_ . . show outline or front of 



width, or to one diameter of the pupil less than ^jgj^ 



this. The outer- angle of the pectoral is vari- 

 able in acuteness, but never quite so round as in Raja inornata. 



Minute spinules are sparsely scattered over the outer edges of the 

 disk and median line of the back behind the shoulder girdle. Larger 

 stellate spinules are on the anterior edge of the disk, snout, and inter- 

 orbital space. There are from six to ten enlarged spines around the 

 eye, and sometimes from one to three on the median line between the 

 branchial chambers, but these last are usually absent in large specimens. 

 There are three irregular rows of enlarged spines on the back of the 

 tail, with smaller ones usually scattered between, in the female. In 

 the male the outer row of tail-spines is absent or scattered, there is a 

 patch of very much enlarged spines opposite the eye, and the usual 

 row of sharp spines hooked inward near the angle of the disk. No 

 specimen was observed with more than a single row of these, while 

 large specimens of Raja hinocidata have two rows and an incomplete 

 third one. 



