The Spotted Eagle Ray. 305 



Elsewhere in the Pacific, Jordan and Scale (1907) have taken it at Cavite, 

 Philippine Islands, and Gunther has described a young male from Samoa pre- 

 served in the Museum Godeft'roy at Hamburg. In the same article he notes 

 that there is on deposit in the British Museum a pair of large tooth plates 

 collected in the Solomon Islands by Woodford. 



In 1867 Gill received from San Francisco a spotted ray from an unknown 

 habitat; to which he gave the name A. laticeps. Jordan (1895) finds rays 

 all along the Pacific coast from the Gulf of California to Panama practically 

 identical with Gill's ray and with West Indian specimens of A. narinari. 

 Later (Jordan and Evermann 1898) he advises that Gill's specific name be 

 dropped and the ray be considered as A. narinari. 



Gilbert and Starks (1904) report A. narinari as frequently seen in the 

 Bay of Panama and note that the specimens they examined were in no 

 particulars different from those described by Jordan from Sinaloa (1895). 



From the above data it will be seen that the habitat of this ray is coex- 

 istent with the tropical and semitropical waters which encircle the globe. 



ECONOMIC VALUE. 



Marcgrave's statement that the flesh of A. nari7iari has a good flavor 

 and is sufficient (in the case of his or some other large specimen) to feed 

 40 men indicates that this ray among others was eaten in Brazil even at that 

 early day. Sloane (1725) declares it to be eatable, and Browne (1756) 

 says it was well liked by the Jamaicans, while Forster (the specific name of 

 whose ray is edentula) some fifty years later found it "not the last fish" at 

 the feasts of the Otaheitans. Further Euphrasen (1790) affirms that its fiesh 

 is white and, when properly prepared, that it is equal to that of the best fish 

 eaten in Sweden, from which we may conclude that ii: was habitually eaten 

 in the Lesser Antilles. 



On this subject Bleeker (1852) writes: "The flesh of Aetobatis narinari 

 is of a rather dark bluish color and in Batavia, especially among the Chinese, 

 it is much sought for and commands a high price." Day (1878) notes 

 that this ray is eaten by the natives of Hindustan. Jenkins (1904) found 

 it for sale in the market at Honolulu, from which we may infer that it is 

 habitually eaten in the Sandwich Islands. Probably fuller investigations 

 will show that it is a common article of food throughout the Pacific. 



Since great numbers of other and more edible fishes are to be had for 

 the catching or are for sale at exceedingly low prices, neither A. 7iarinari 

 nor any of the other rays found at Beaufort or Key West are used for food 

 there. However, it is stated by some sailors and deep-sea fishermen, that 

 the pectoral fins of the rays (kinds not specified) are, when properly pre- 

 pared, excellent for the table. As to this, the writer is unable to speak 

 from experience, but he has eaten the fins of the common southern stingaree, 

 Dasyatis hastata, and found them very palatable. 



