THE COMMON AND THE LONG-NOSED SKATE. 561 



According to Kroyer, " it pairs in April and May. 

 Contrary to its usual lial^it, it then comes up to the 

 surface. At Hjerting, on the west coast of Jutland 

 (lat. 55° 30'), they tell me that of a calm and mild evening 

 a considerahle number of these fish may he seen in the 

 hay floating on the water, and might then be readily 

 captured even Avitli a common boat-hook. Several males 

 are said to follow one female, and whilst in the act of 

 pairing, the sexes are very securely attached to each 

 other. The female commences depositing her eggs in 

 May, and is supposed to continue till September, as only a 

 couple of eggs ai"e matured at a time. The lobes are of 

 a fine sea-green colour, and of a considei'able size. The 

 young of upwards of two feet in length that are captured 

 in the Cattegat in June and beginning of July are, in 

 my opinion, bred in the spring of the same year. The 

 appendages of a male of this size are not more than one 

 inch long ; and even when the fish has attained a length 

 of five feet, it is not sufiicieutly developed to enal)le it 

 to propagate its species. The appendages of the old 

 male are of such an extraordinary size as to give one 

 the idea that it is furnished with three tails." 



With us in England the common skate is, according 

 to Yarrell, held in estimation ; but such is not the case 

 in Scandinavia, where by the better classes it is somewhat 

 despised. It is eaten, liowever, by the peasants, but for 

 the most part when salted and dried. 



A very singular notion regarding this and other skates 

 formerly prevailed amongst the Danish fishermen, viz., 

 tliat they keep watch over the bodies of the drowned, and 

 guard them against the attack of other fishes. 



The Long-nosed Skate [Plogjerns-RocJici, or plough- 

 share skate, Sw. ; R. Vomer, B. Eries ; ? R. oxyrhynclms, 

 Linn.) is rare in the Bohus Skargard, but is not uufre- 

 quently taken during summer with the " long-line " on tlie 



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