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



side of the tail in young examples ; irregularly double in its anterior region in 

 adult females, may be absent in half-grown examples of either sex ; usually absent 

 or incomplete in adult males. 



Small asperities are confined to the prepectoral region of the disk in young 

 examples. They extend all over the upper surface, in half-grown examples of either 

 sex and in adult females. The anterior flange of the pelvic in females, and the 

 whole of the pelvic in males, is smooth. The gill-region and central part of the 

 pectoral is smooth in adult males. Asperities are nowhere very clearly set except 

 on supra-orbital ridges and along anterior margin. 



The under surface in examples of either sex, 9 inches or more across the disk, 

 shows a harder of very close, backwardly directed asperities along the anterior margin, not 

 extending to the angles of the pectoral. Scattered asperities extend from the 

 central part of this border over the interhuial region in adult males; less 

 frequently in adult females. A narrow border of closely-set asperities along the 

 edge of the tail in examples of 10 inches or more across the disk. Some asperities 

 about the region of the coracoid and anterior part of the abdominal cavity in half- 

 grown examples of either sex, and about the general surface of the tail in females. 

 Adult females with scattered asperities over the general ventral surface, except the 

 outer parts of the pectoral and pelvic fins. 



Colours. — The upper surface a pale fawn, may incline to chestnut, rarely to 

 cold sepia ; usually darker on the abdominal region and lighter on the head than 

 on the rest of the body. Thickly sprinkled with small dark spots, seldom 

 exceeding quarter of an inch in diameter, which extend to the margins of the disk. 

 A number of small pale, rounded areas, having a certain bilateral symmetry of 

 arrangement, on the wings; rarely with a central dark "pupil" spot ; surrounded 

 by a ring of spots never much larger than the rest, and never continuous tvith each 

 otlier. Transverse pale streaks, destitute of spots, may be present near the margins 

 of the disk. Under surface white, occasionally brown on the projection of the 

 snout. 



The existence of two species of spotted rays in British waters was first 

 suspected by one of us during the cruise of the " Harlequin," when it was noticed 

 that the fish taken in Blacksod Bay and several other localities seemed to fall into 

 two groups, one consisting of large, pale, small-spotted individuals, while the rest 

 were smaller, darker, and usually with larger and less numerous spots. It was also 

 noticed that the larger fish yielded an egg-purse twice the size of any that were 

 obtained from the smaller. Differences in external characters were carefully 

 noted, but a difficulty in separating the two kinds arose from the impossibility of 

 obtaining small examples of the pale, small-spotted fish. Hence, though a strong 

 opinion might be formed as to the specific distinction, it seemed impossible to 

 prove to the satisfaction of readers that the condition exhibited by the larger fish 



