159 



LXIV-TORPEDINIDE. 



TORPEDO, Dumeril. 



1— T. occidenlalis. 



Torpado or Cramp-Fish. 



Disk of body nearly circular; j)ectoral fins lai'ge; two dor- 

 sal fins placed so far back as to be on the tail; surface of 

 body smooth; tail short and rather thick; teeth sharp and 

 small. Very broad across pectorals, which are rather less 

 than half the entire length; caudal fin nearly triangular, 

 straight at its posterior margin. Eyes very small. Whole 

 upper surface dark brown, with a few, almost black, dots 

 distributed over it; beneath white. Length 4 feet 2 inches; 

 width 3 feet. 



T. occidentcdis, Storer, Mem. Am. Ac. II, p. 576, IX, 

 1867, p. 247, pi. 39, fig. 15, and Proc. Post. Soc. Xat. Hist. 

 II, p. 7. 



Said to occur very rarely in the region near the entrance 

 to Chesapeake Bay, and comes from the ocean. 



LXV-RAJAIDE. 



PAJA, Artedi. 



R. eglanteria. 



Prickly Skate, or Clear-Nosed Ray, 



Body flat, semiorbicular behind, with a wide, rounded 

 emargination each side before, near the spiracles, anterior to 

 which the edge is dilated opposite to the eyes, and then is 

 contracted so as to form a short, rounded rostrum. A longi- 

 tudinal series of from nine to twelve simple spines on each 

 side upon the pectorals; tail longer than the body, with two 

 fins at its tip. Above reddish, sprinkled with small spots; 

 beneath whitish, with reddish tints. Length 15 — 19 inches; 

 width 7 to 10 inches. 



E. eglanteria, Lacep. II, pp. 103;, 109, tab. 4, fig. 2; Lesu- 

 eur, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. IV, p. 103, pi. 6; Storer, 

 Mem. Am. Ac. II, p. 512. 



Rather uncommon, mostly taken in spring, and occasion- 

 ally eaten_, but not prized as an article of food. Belongs to 

 tiaid ocean and around the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. 



