394 Survey of Fishing- Grounds, West Coast of Ireland, 1890—1891. 



Our largest example was a female measuring 23f inches across the disk, and 

 34 inches in total length. We give a figure of an egg-case taken from this 

 example. It measures 9.10 cm. long, by 5'7 cm. broad. Plate xliv., fig. iv. 



Raia circularis (Griinther). The Sandy Ray. (Deep-sea). 



Raia circularis, Gunther, " Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus.," viii. p. 462. 



„ „ Couch, " Charlesw. Mag. Nat. Hist.," 1838. ii., 



p. 71. 

 (Sandy Ray) Raia circularis, . Couch, "Fish. Brit. Isles," i., p. 115. 

 (Cuckoo Ray) Raia miraletus, . Couch, " Fish. Brit. Isles," i., p. 112. 



Couch, in describing the sandy and cuckoo rays as distinct species, based his 

 diagnosis on the well-known differences in the colouration. The sandy ray is 

 uniformly chocolate-brown on the upper side, save for a very few small white spots 

 on the wings, while the cuckoo ray is a pale yellowish-brown, with a very distinct 

 large black and yellow ocellus on each wing. 



Dr. Gunther, failing to recognise any distinctions of specific value, associated 

 the two forms under the name R. circularis, the specific name given to the sandy 

 ray by Couch (loc. cit,), and his example has since been followed by all writers of 

 note.* 



The material obtained during the Survey affords no reason for combating this 

 arrangement, but it may be as well to state to which colour variety the different 

 specimens belong. 



The species is generally distributed along the west coast of Europe, and in the 

 Mediterranean. It has been recorded by Collett,t from a maximum depth of 370 

 fathoms off the coast of Norway, and by Gunther, from 516 fathoms in the Faroe 

 channel, who has drawn attention to the peculiar colouration of the specimen 

 obtained on that occasion. J The lower parts are described as " nearly uniform 

 blackish-brown." Our own examples, from deep water, had the under-surface 

 white, as usual. So far as we are aware, no examj^les answering to the description 

 of the cuckoo ray have been taken in very deep water, whereas the sandy ray 

 occurs in quite shallow water, as well as considerable depth. 



We believe that the egg-case of R. circularis has never been figured, and 

 therefore append a drawing. Plate xliv., fig. iii. 



* Including Collett, " Norg. Fisk.," p. 214; Moreau, " Poiss. Franc.,"!., p. 397; Day, "Fish. Gt. 

 Brit.," ii., p. 348 ; and Lilljeborg, " Sverig. o. Norg. Fisk.," p. 564. 

 j- "Mag. f. Naturvid.," xxix., p. 119. 

 X '■ ChaU.," xxii., p. 8. 



