Waters of western india. 23 



the surface, and " squatter" along it in a curious way, or even leap 

 high out of the water, appareutly for their own diversion. The 

 mouth is usually small, and except in the upper jaw of the saw-fish 

 the teeth are small, blunt, and close set, often forming a sort of 

 pavement. The jaws of most of them are very powerful, and 

 between these they crush and grind the shell-fish and Crustacea 

 which are, in most cases, " the chief of their diet." 



The first family among them is that of Pristidce, or Saw fishes, 

 called by the Max*athas " Sonala/' and by Europeans often (incor- 

 rectly, of course,) " Sword-fishes." In these the snout and upper 

 jaw are prolonged into a flat round-ended beak, about one-fourth of 

 the whole length of the fish, which sometimes exceeds 20 feet. 

 Both sides of this are set, rake-fashion, with long flattened horny 

 fangs, and the fish is said to use this formidable weapon by 

 swimming rapidly past the victim, so as to deliver a sawing cut 

 with all the teeth on one side in succession, or by writhing so as to 

 strike side-ways with the points of so many teeth as may bear upon 

 the object at once, inflicting a series of punctured wounds, and 

 perhaps retaining the victim (if small) impaled upon the teeth. 

 The former manner of fence is said to be used upon large fish, 

 porpoises, and even men, and the latter upon small fish. The 

 fishermen of the coast hold these saw-fishes in great fear (though 

 they make no account of sharks). 



The general shape of the saw-fish is not unlike that of a shark, 

 but he is clumsier and flatter. The fins, which are very large and 

 powerful, are exported as te shark-fins." Several species ascend 

 rivers, and in sandy streams go far above tide-marks, but they have 

 no great chance of doing this in the Konkan. 



After them comes the curious family of the Rhinobatidce, which 

 have something the figure of the saw-fish, but broader, and in 

 most species of their two genera (Rhynchobatus and Rhinobatus) , 

 the snout is prolonged into a sort' of triangular shovel. This, how- 

 ever, is above the jaw, and is unarmed, the mouth is that of a true 

 skate, with a pair of rasps for jaw. The fish of this type are known 

 to the Marathas as " Lanja." One species at least (Rhynchobatus 

 djeddensis) is very common on our coast, and grows to at least 6 feet 

 long. The only round-snouted species, which is called " Mivil" (R. 

 ancylostomus) is exceedingly rare. I have only once seen it. It 

 exceeds six feet. The Ehinobati are said to be rather larger, but they 

 are all timid creatures, and the principal evil reported of them is a 



