WATERS OF WESTERN INDIA. 25 



their victims and then stab them to death with this case of daggers, 

 which always reminds me of an Arab or Makrani swash-buckler with 

 three jambiyas in one sheath. So far as I can observe, however, the 

 tail is not really in any way prehensile, and takes no more hold than 

 a very supple cane or whip would. It is apparently very liable to 

 accident, a perfect tail is as scarce amongst veteran rays as amongst 

 Bombay "Biles" at the end of the season. But I did get one fine 

 specimen of the typical species (Trygon Uarnak), in which it seemed 

 perfect, and the measurements were as follows: — maximum diameter 

 6 feet, length without tail 5^ feet, tail 8£ feet. The tail spine had 

 been broken off and lost, the stump was one inch across, and from a 

 number of measurements of other spines I find that their length is 

 to diameter in a proportion that varies from X 7 to X 10. This 

 spine, therefore, cannot have been less than 6 inches long, and may 

 have been 10. I could hardly blame the fishermen for breaking it 

 off before getting the monster aboard. They dread these rays 

 almost as much as the saw-fishes. 



Dr. Day allows this species a tail three or four times its own length, 

 so my friend might have had a tail 22 feet long, but the longest of 

 which I have good record on this coast is one mentioned in the 

 " Tanna Gazetteer'' as of 13^ feet. Several other Trygons, and the 

 allied genera Tcenieura and Pteroplatea, are as big, and as well armed. 

 They live mostly on muddy bottoms, hunting Crustacea and molluscs 

 but at times, as noted above, rise and play and leap on the surface. 



In the next family, Myliobatidce, this habit is still more common, 

 and some have spines on the tail, but in the first genus, Myliohatis, 

 they are not universal. It is represented on this coast, I think, by 

 the " Hanwatia" or "monkey-skate," a small unarmed fish 

 frequenting the edges of reefs, and handsomely spotted, probably 

 MyJiobntes maculata. 



The rest of this family are more or less hideous and monstrous, 

 but the palm belongs to the ''Bat- ray, or Devil-fish (Dicerobaii 

 eregoodoo), called in Maratha "Piwri." This monster is twice as 

 broad as he is long, reaching 18 feet across the wings and 9 from 

 the snout to the root of the tail, which is H times the length of the 

 body, if not shortened by accident. On his head he has two 

 projections somewhat of the shape of hare's ears, directed forwards. 

 He appears usually to swim high, and I have seen one jump a good 

 six feet out of the water. The only good thing to be said about him 

 is that he has no spine in his tail. 

 4 



