I30 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



median series, are 2 rather regular series of small thorns, sim- 

 ilar. On each side of tail above they resolve into several irreg- 

 ular longitudinal series of thorns, becoming much larger posteri- 

 orly. Towards tip of tail they gradually become obsolete. 

 Upper submarginal surface of ventral roughened. Entire lower 

 surface of body smooth. No claspers. Dorsals 2, at end of tail 

 and of about equal size. Pectoral with anterior edge convex, then 

 concave and finally convex, and entire posterior margin broadly 

 convex. Ventral elongate, anteriorly with a short lobe and 

 posteriorly rather pointed. Vent large and well behind origins 

 of ventral fins. Color in alcohol more or less uniform brownish 

 above. Below dull whitish. Length 32 inches. This example, 

 an adult female, with ripe ovary, was taken in a pound at Green 

 Creek, in Cape May county. May 5th, 1907. H. Walker Hand 

 and H. W. Fowler. 



Color of the above in life above dull muddy-brown, back and 

 entire upper surface of disk all more or less of uniform tint and 

 finely marked with dusky spots. These spots, nearly blackish, 

 indistinctly defined and none so large as eye, many about size of 

 pupil, or even smaller. Spots on tail becoming inconspicuous 

 distally, or when extending about basal 7^ of its length, outer ^ 

 unicolor. Dorsal fins brownish, like back. As viewed above 

 edge along tail distally is grayish-white. Iris with upper half 

 muddy-brown, nearly as deep in tint as back, and lower half 

 dirty or soiled-white. Around pupil a very narrow circle of 

 golden. Curtain over pupil fringed brownish, like back. Lower 

 surface of body milky-white. On each side of snout and along 

 edges of pectoral translucent grayish spots. 



It is the most abundant skate along the bay shore, and is taken 

 in all the pounds we visited at Green Creek and nearly to^ Fishing 

 Creek. Most all we saw were adults and seemed to display but 

 little variation, except in the sexes, the males, as a rule, being 

 less spiny or thorny than the females. All measure about 3 feet 

 in length, and in this respect the sexes do not vary. The claspers 

 of the male are long, like those of the preceding species. These 

 skates are taken in the pounds and then hauled up on shore to 

 be used as fertilizers. Most we saw were thrown up on the 

 shore close by the king crab pens. Some farmers take them 



