THE SHAGREEN RAY AND THE THORNRACK. 5G3 



The Shagreen Ray, so called from the rough shark- 

 like texture of the skin (Niibb-Rocka, or beaked ray, 

 Sw. ; Neb-Skade, or beaked skate, Norw. ; Ojoge-Rocke, 

 or cuckoo-ray, Dan. ; R. fullonica, Linn.), a southern 

 sjoecics it wovild seem, was scarce with us, as also on 

 the western coast of Norway, where it ranges up to 

 Drontheim Ejord, or it may be somewhat beyond. Once 

 in a time it is met with in the southern Cattegat, but 

 hitherto it does not appear to have been identified 

 either in the Sound or the Baltic. It is unknown, 

 according to Kroyer, in the Danish seas. Pennant tells 

 us it attains to a like size as the common skate ; but 

 those hitherto found in the Scandinavian waters appear 

 not to have exceeded three to four feet in length. It 

 dwells for the most part in the deeps, where it is cap- 

 tured on the " long-line " in from fifty to one hundred 

 fathoms, or perhaps more. Its food and habits are very 

 imperfectly known to Northern naturalists. 



The Thornback [Knarjg-Rocka, or knotted ray, Sw. ; 

 Soni-Rocke, or nailed ray, Dan. ; R. clavata, Linn.), a 

 southern fish, I believe, for Ave read of its being abundant 

 in the Mediterranean and on the coasts of the Crimea, 

 is common in the Bohus Skargard and on the western 

 coast from the northern j^ortion of the Sound upwards ; 

 hut its limits to the north seem not to be ascertained, 

 though they are not very extended, it is to be presumed, 

 because this fish is not thought to inhabit the seas of 

 either Iceland or Greenland. Its usual length with us 

 is from two to three feet, which it seldom exceeds. The 

 female, as with other of the rays, somewhat surpasses the 

 male in size. Moderately deep water with a sandy bottom 

 would seem to be its favourite resort. According to 

 Ekstrom, it is a Stand-fisk, or stationary fish, that is, 

 one confining itself pretty much to the same locality all 

 the year round. " Its ' Lek,' " he says, " commences in 



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