248 Papers from the Marine Biological Laboratory at Tortugas. 



the spined tail, had not Piso made it clear that the latter is meant. It seems 

 then that the word Narinari means sting ray (see Martius, i867).| 



Willughby, in his "De Historia Piscium," published after his death by 

 Ray at Oxford in 1686, reproduces both figure and text with great exactness. 

 The fish, however, is represented as if it were lying on its left and were drawn 

 from the right side. The description and figure are credited to Marcgrave. 



The next reference to this interesting fish is to be found in Jonston's 

 "Historiae Naturalis de Piscibus et Cetis." This work passed through 

 several editions. The first, according to Walbaum, was published at 

 Frankfort in 1649. Three editions are dated at Amsterdam in 1657, 1660, 

 and 1718. In the Latin version in the Library of Congress, bearing date of 

 1767, Jonston reproduces Marcgrave's figure, but reverses right and left sides, 

 as does Willughby, and takes out some of the crudities of the drawing, and 

 quotes Marcgrave's description almost verbatim, giving him credit. 



Henry Ruysch, in 1718, published his "Theatrum Universale Omnium 

 Animalium, Piscium," etc., which seems to be a compilation of the works of 

 various writers from Aristotle to Marcgrave and Jonston, but mainly of the 

 latter. Ruysch has rearranged Marcgrave's description and figures, prob- 

 ably following Jonston therein. He has copied Marcgrave's description of 

 Narinari in the minutest detail, but without a word of reference or acknow- 

 ledgment. He reproduces Marcgrave's figure, but has improved it, espe- 

 cially in the shading. 



In 1697 Hans Sloane figured and described in volume xix of the "Phi- 

 losophical Transactions" the jaws of a Pastinaca marina from Jamaica, 

 which he says is identical with Marcgrave's Narinari. In his brief descrip- 

 tion of the fish he says that it is "smooth, blue; covered with white spots." 

 Later (1725), in volume il of his Natural History of Jamaica, he describes 

 this fish more fully. 



This [whip ray] was about two foot over from corner to corner, and all blue even the 

 flesh itself with white spots on it, the under side or Belly was white, as in others of this 

 kind, the tail was six foot long, black, small and smooth, of which are made whips, whence 

 the name Whip-Ray, beyond the Pinna at the end of the body or in the beginning of the 

 tail lie one, two or three inch and a half long flat streight bones or Radij ; they are white, 

 serrated with Teeth on both Sides like a saw, made so as an arrow that's barbed, to enter 

 the flesh easily but not to come out without tearing it, they lie one on another on the upper 

 part of the tail, where there is a hollow or cavity made to receive them like a sheath, that 

 they may swim with less Impediment and only use them on Occasion. 



It is probable that Patrick Browne, in his "Civil and Natural History 

 of Jamaica" (1756), refers to our ray when, on page 459, he describes a 

 whip-ray thus: "Middle parts bluish mixed, tongue long, with a barbed 

 spine on the finned tail." Ray (1713), who it will be remembered edited 

 Willughby's manuscript, in his "Synopsis Methodica^iscium," quotes Sloane 

 and Marcgrave, but adds nothing new concerning our ray. 



I find no other reference to Aetohatus narinari until 1790. Excepting 

 Abbeville, Marcgrave, and Sloane, and possibly Piso, none of the older 

 writers above quoted seems to have ever seen the fish; they were all com- 



