THE SHARKS AND HAYS. 433 



smaller species, having a large black spot with yellow 

 centre at the shoulder, other yellow spots occasionally 

 surrounding it.] 



In the Torpedo, otherwise "Cramp-fish" or "Numb- 

 fish," which is not uncommon in our deeper waters, we come 



to another type, the distinguishing feature of 

 Torpedo. , . , . Jt < i , 



which is the presence or electric organs in the 



sides of the head, these organs taking the form of between 

 four and five hundred hexagonal prisms of cells containing 

 a gelatinous substance. This power of giving electric 

 shocks ceases with life. The British species grows to a 

 length of 5 feet, with an accompanying breadth of upwards 

 of a yard. The body is plump and without tubercles. 

 The dorsal fins, the first of which is about twice the size of 

 the second, are spineless, and situate on the tail. The 

 eyes, behind which lie oval spiracles devoid of fringe, are 

 small and embedded. The crescent-shaped mouth is not 

 very large, the teeth being curved, pointed, and movable 

 in their sockets. The colour of this species varies from 

 dull red or brown to black. It feeds on fishes of con- 

 siderable size, examples of which have been recovered 

 intact from its inside, 



[The Marbled Torpedo, a Mediterranean species having 

 a fringe of tentacles round the spiracle, is included by 

 some writers in the British list.] 



One of the most formidable and indeed commonest of 

 our rays is the Sting-Ray, or "Fireflaire," which has an 

 almost cosmopolitan range, and is taken in 

 British seas to a weight of 80 Ibs. This 

 mud-loving fish is recognised by the serrated spine (6 

 or 8 inches long in large examples) with which the whip- 

 like tail is armed. This weapon, which is liable to injury, 

 can be replaced after accident, if not indeed periodically. 

 The tail has a fold on the lower surface and a ridge above. 

 The body is either smooth or sparsely covered with 



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