16 CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 



eggs in it, all exactly round, of different bigness; the 

 largest as big as a little May cherry, paler coloured than 

 a hen's egg, of that bigness, otherwise not different to 

 the eye. I have dried the fish a little with salt, &c., yet 

 not so much but that it will recover its form if soaked in 

 hot water. The tail (a foot long) was cut off (as usually) 

 when caught, which, they say, was full of pricks, both 

 above and below, to the very end. Maydes* they say, 

 are of two sorts, the larger sort (much smaller than 

 T/iornbacks] properly called Flayre Maydes^ smooth as 

 flayre, pale coloured, not dappled or waived ; the less 

 called Thornback Maydes, full of pricks, dappled, but 

 paler coloured than the Thornback. It seems a full-grown 

 Flayre is a very large fish. Mr. Mayfeild told me he 

 sold one to the cook of St. John's College of two hun- 

 dred weight and upwards, and that it served all the 

 scholars of the college at that time, being thirty mess for 

 Commons ; which was likewise confirmed to me by the 

 cook of the same college. There are male and female of 

 all these four sorts. I cannot understand that these four 

 do differ at all in shape of body, but only in proportion, 

 colour, and smoothness of skin or prickles. With the 

 fish I have put up in a box some water-fowl, viz., a 

 Pocker \Fuligula ferind], a Smew [Mergus albellus], 

 three Sheldins [Tadorna vulpanser], a Widgeon and a 

 Whewer \_Anas penelope\ ; which last two are male and 

 female of the same kind. Widgeon is never applied to 

 the female sex. It is usual to call a silly fellow a wise 

 widgeon ; or to say, he is as wise as a widgeon ; and a 

 drunkard's song saith that 



" Mahomet was no divine, but a senseless widgeon, 

 To forbid the use of wine unto those of his religion." 



It is usual to say of one of a large size, "Sure the dam of 

 that was a Whewer." We could not meet as yet with a 

 Pintayle [Anas acutd\. My cousin tells me it is sorne- 



* [Young females of the Thornback Ray (Raia clavata) are so called.] 

 f [The females of the Fire Flayre, or Sting Ray (Trygon pastinaca). ] 



