Chap. 40.] FISHES. 4 1 1 



animals would not have fully sufficed for this purpose, but 

 because he could not see a man so aptly torn to pieces all at 

 once by any other kind of animal. It is said that these fish 

 are driven to madness by the taste of vinegar. Their skin is 

 exceedingly thin ; while that of the eel, on the other hand, is 

 much thicker. Yerrius informs us that formerly the children, 

 of the Roman citizens, while wearing the praetexta, 83 were 

 flogged with eel-skins, and that, for this reason, no pecuniary 

 penalty 84 could by law be inflicted upon them. 



CHAP. 40. (24.) VARIOUS KINDS OF FLAT FISH. 



There is another kind of flat fish, which, instead of bones, has 

 cartilage, such, for instance, as the raia, 85 the pastinaca, 86 the 

 squatina, 87 the torpedo, 88 and those which, under their respective 

 Greek names, are known as the ox, 89 the lamia, 90 the eagle, 91 and 



83 Until the Roman youth assumed the toga virilis, they wore the toga 

 prsetexta, or senatorial gown. The toga virilis was assumed at the Liber- 

 alia, in the month of March ; and though no age appears to have been 

 positively fixed for the ceremony, it probably took place, as a general rule, 

 on the feast which next followed the completion of the fourteenth year ; 

 though it is not certain that the completion of the fourteenth year was not 

 always the time observed. So long as a male wore the preetexta, he was 

 considered " impubes," and when he had assumed the toga virilis, he was 

 " pubes." Hence the word " investis," or " praetextatus," (here employed), 

 was the same as impubes. 



84 Thus the " impubes " paid, as Hardouin says, " not in money, but in 

 skin." Isidorus, in his Glossary, says, " 4 Anguilla ' is the name given to 

 the ordinary 'scutica,' or whip with which boys are chastised at school." 

 The witty Rabelais says, B. ii. c. 30, " Whereupon his master gave him 

 such a sound lashing with an eel-skin, that his own would have been worth 

 nothing to make bag-pipe bags of." 85 The ray. 



86 The sting-ray ; the Raia pastinaca of Linnaeus. 



87 The angel-fish ; the Squalus squatina of Linnaeus. 



88 The Raia torpedo of Linnaeus. 



89 Galen, in his explanation of words used by Hippocrates, speaks of the 

 /3ouc 0aXaff<rtoc, which is also described by Oppian, Halieut. B. ii. 1. 141, 

 et seq. He speaks of it as growing to the length of eleven or twelve cubits, 

 and having small, weak teeth, which are not easily seen, and compares it 

 in appearance to the roof of a house. Cuvier thinks, that although its 

 horns are not mentioned, a species of large horned ray is alluded to, which 

 is known by the modern naturalists by the name of Cephalopterus, and he 

 thinks it very likely these horns may have given it its Greek appellation. 

 Indeed Pliny himself, in another place, B. xxxii. c. 53, speaks of it under 

 the name of " cornuta," the " horned-fish." 



90 A species of ray, most probably. 



91 Cuvier suggests that this was the mylobates, the Raia aquila of Lin- 



