RAIA.] PISCES (CARTILAG.) PLAGIOSTOMI. 513 



stout, with two moderately-sized finlets, of equal size and form, nearly 

 contiguous; scarcely the rudiment of a caudal: pectorals broad, with the 

 anterior margin hollowed out, and not prolonged beyond the basal half of 

 the snout: ventrals moderate, deeply notched or bilobated. (Colours.) 

 General colour of the upper parts reddish brown, somewhat paler on the 

 pectorals, with a faint indication of round whitish spots : beneath white, 

 with a broad border all round, especially beneath the angles of the 

 pectorals, of dark reddish brown, approaching to dusky: tail entirely 

 black. 



First described by Lacepede from specimens sent him by M. Noel 

 from Dieppe, Liverpool and Brighton. The individual described above 

 was obtained at Wey mouth by Professor Henslow, and is now in the 

 Museum of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. In the same collection 

 is a young one, extracted from the purse, which is very large, compared 

 with those of other species. Blainville states that he has seen several 

 from the Channel, the Ocean, and the Mediterranean. He thinks that 

 it never attains to a very large size. 



202. R. chagrined, Mont. (Shagreen Hay.) Snout 

 long and sharp : skin rough above : only two principal 

 rows of spines on the tail, the ridge being without spines : 

 colour beneath white. 



R. chagrinea, Mont, in Wern. Mem. vol. n. p. 420. pi. 21. R. aspera 

 nostras, Will. Hist. Pise. p. 78. R. aspera, Flem. Brit. An. p. 172. 

 Blainv. Faun. Franq. p. 22. ? Shagreen Ray, Penn. Brit. Zool. 

 vol. m. p. 87. Id. (Edit. 1812.) vol. in. p. 117. 



DIMENS. The following were those of Montagu's specimen. Entire 

 length three feet ; length of the tail seventeen inches : breadth twenty- 

 four inches. According to Pennant, it attains to the size of the Skate. 



DESCRIPT. (Form.) Form narrower than that of the common kinds : 

 greatest breadth two-thirds of the entire length : snout long and sharp, 

 much resembling that of the R. Oxyrhinchus : teeth slender and very- 

 sharp: the whole upper surface rough, covered closely with minute 

 shagreen-like tubercles, resembling the skin of the Dog-Fish; under 

 surface smooth, except the head, breast and tail: nine or ten spines 

 above the eye, but in the middle of the brow a vacancy ; on the snout 

 several tubercular spines, but scarcely definable, in two rows: behind 

 the head, seven or eight spines on the dorsal ridge, extending so far 

 back as to be in a line with the branchiae: two rows of strong spines on 

 the tail, one on each side of the ridge, projecting outwards, the points 

 much hooked backwards, and extremely sharp ; some smaller spines on 

 each side of the tail, intermixed with innumerable little spicula. In 

 Montagu's specimen, which was a male, there were the usual four series 

 of hooked spines, very sharp-pointed, each series consisting of two rows : 

 the ventral appendages were nearly half as long as the tail. (Colours.) 

 Upper surface of a uniform cinereous brown ; in one instance, with a few 

 black spots : under surface white. PENN and MONT. 



This species, which appears very distinct and well characterized, I 

 have not seen. Judging from the descriptions given of it by Pennant 

 and Montagu, I am inclined to consider it the same as the R. aspera of 

 Willug-hby, who expressly mentions the double row of spines on the 

 tail. It is also the R. aspera of Fleming, and perhaps of Blainville, but 

 it would be hazardous to annex any other synonyms. Pennant met with 



KK 



