100 NEW SOUTH WALES 



line, when hooked, it exhibits great power, and often ha^e I seen it 

 towed into beaches to enable the amateur fisherman to get a firm and 

 steady pull to land him. The angular form of its pectoral fins frequently 

 reach the distance of 8 or 10 feet, and the weight exceeds 100, 200, or 

 even 300 pounds. 



" Rays in their season retire to deep water, and their habit is that of 

 shai'ks, to which, as cartilaginous fishes, they are the gradation. At 

 the breeding season they approach the coast, and enter our bays and 

 harbours. In some of the species the large and well-developed pectoral 

 fins form a broad flat disc, with a thin and slender tail." 



The weight of some of these fishes may be readily understood by 

 quoting from Captain Cook, Avhen he visited Botany Bay in 1770 : — 



"' He had observed that the large sting-rays, of which there is a great 

 plenty in the bay, followed the flowing tide into veiy shallow water. 

 He therefore took the opportunity of flood, and struck several in not 

 more than 2 or 3 feet of water. One of them weighed no less than 240 

 pounds after his entrails were taken out. The next morning, as the 

 wind still continued northerly, I sent out the yawl again, and the people 

 struck one still larger, for when his entrails were taken out he weighed 

 336 pounds.'" 



With regard to the spine or sting with which these fish are armed, 

 though it inflicts a ragged and even a most dangerous wound, yet 

 whether it is a poisonous one or not has not been clearly established. 

 Dx\ Giinther unhesitatingly says that it is, and this is the almost 

 universal belief. I have seen two or three cases of such wounds, and 

 the agony complained of was too great to attribute to the puncture alone. 

 Yet no serious consequences followed once the pain had subsided. 



The Torpedo. 



Our Torpedo or Electric Ray is Ilyj'inos suhiigruvi, that of Tasmania 

 is Narcine tasmaniensis. The difierence is in the teeth, which are flat 

 in Narcine and tricuspid in Hypnos, while the latter has the nostrils 

 round and open, and in the former they are confluent with a quad- 

 rangular valve. I quote from Mr. Hill a few facts concerning this 

 remarkable fish, which has an electrical apparatus at each side of the 

 head. It is a small fish, rarely exceeding 40 lbs., which for a ray is trifling. 



In Middle Harbour, on the clear sand bottoms, at night, they are 

 frequently hauled in with the seine. " On one occasion, when we were 

 more inclined to play than to assist with the net, we amused ourselves 

 with a large torpedo which had been hauled in. Four of us, after 

 feeling a shock individually, joined in a circle holding hands, and those 

 at the extremity touching the fish ; simultaneously we completed the 

 circle and experienced a shock similar to that from a galvanic battery. 

 On another occasion, and at another place, we endeavoured to continue 

 some experiments on one of these fishes which had been caught, but it 

 was so enfeebled that the shock was scarcely perceptible. This we 

 attributed to having expended its power upon the net with which it had 

 been in constant contact during the capture. In about half an hour 

 afterwards the fish had apparently somewhat recovered, as the shocks 

 were ajjpreciably stronger, but ceased with death." 



