20 REV. R. T. LOWE ON THE FISHES OF MADEIRA. 



This shark very much resembles in its general aspect Scymnus niceensis, Risso, the 

 " Gata " of Madeira : but is at once distinguished by the spines in front of the two 

 dorsal fins, which, as in A. pusillum, are both recurved, and ought, had I attended to 

 the excellent figures copied by Willughby from Salviani of Centiina nigra, Cuv., 

 instead of allowing myself to be deceived by a miserable figure of Lacep^de's, alone to 

 have preserved me from the blunder of referring to that species for the present shark, 

 the usual size of which exceeds by a few inches only three feet. 



Fam. RaiidjE. 



Raia oayrhynchus, Will., Ichth. p. 71. — " Raia." 



Sharp-nosed Ray, Penn., Ed. 1. iii. 83. No. 31. Yarr., Brit. Fish. ii. 424. 



Two male individuals only have occurred : the largest, measuring three feet in width 

 from wing to wing, was furnished on the back with patches of strong hooked spines or 

 prickles, much as in the figure in the British Fishes ; but the second example, scarcely 

 two feet wide, although decidedly a male, was devoid of these appendages. The colour 

 of the upper surface was a pale, dull, yellowish or ashy-grey, obscurely mottled or 

 dappled with a few scattered distant paler whitish spots. 



Trygon altavela. — " Andorinha do mar." T. corpore rhomboideo, duplo latiore 

 quam longo, alls expansis, caudd perbrevi. 



Pastinaca marina altera TrTe^uirXaTeTa, Altavela Neapoli dicta Columnce. Will., Hist. 

 65. Tab. C. 1. f. 3. (Copied from F. Columna.)— Rariss. 



A single female individual only has occurred, measuring five feet and a half from tip 

 to tip of wings. 



