R A I A. 



511 



and that the fishes are not thereby exhausted in the 

 same manner as those which part with the whole of 

 a large roe at one time. It follows almost necessarily 

 from this that the time of production is carried on 

 through great part of the year, and that the fishes are 

 generally in good condition ; though from their ranging 

 habits they are not found in the same fishing stations 

 at all seasons. It does not appear, however, that 

 any permanent attachment exists between the sexes ; 

 and indeed attachments of this kind seem to be quite 

 unknown in the whole class of fishes. 



The proper cranium of the skate occupies but a 

 small portion of the volume of the head, and, small 

 as the skull is, the brain does not fill it. The ver- 

 tebras of the neck, the back, and the tail, the last 

 of which are very numerous, are soldered together ; 

 the ribs and sternum are entirely wanting ; the rays 

 of the pectoral fins are very numerous, placed laterally 

 with each other, and nearly at right angles to the 

 spinal column ; they are jointed at intervals through- 

 out the whole of their length ; they taper toward their 

 extremities, and the muscles with which they are 

 loaded, and which have firm fibres in the same di- 

 rection as the rays, gradually diminish in volume of 

 matter as the extremity of the fin is approached. In 

 many of the species, those muscular fibres, and also 

 some of the softer cartilaginous parts, are very whole- 

 some food ; but, generally speaking, they are im- 

 proved by being kept for several days ; and it is a popu- 

 lar remark in some parts of the country, that " a large 

 skate should be used a week as a mat at the door 

 before it is prepared for the table/' This species of 

 fish, however, is so very common, that it is held in 

 comparatively little estimation where fish are abun- 

 dant ; but it is on this account highly valuable as food 

 to the poor. 



As is the case in the birds of prey, the female rays 

 are larger than the males. The eggs, of which the 

 empty envelopes, which are strong* and tough, are of 

 an oblong form, are rounded at the sides and ends, and 

 gathered into a sort of lump or knob. The substance 

 of them bears a considerable resemblance to that of 

 whalebone. They vary from an inch in length to 

 nearly six inches ; and in some places they are popu- 

 larly known by the name of skate-purses. They are 

 sometimes met with in a very recent state, and when 

 they are so, the appendages to the corners are gene- 

 rally longer than in those which are old and dry ; 

 and it is understood that, by means of these appen- 

 dages, the eggs cling to the stalks of marine plants, 

 and are thereby prevented from being washed ashore 

 by the storms. Those which are found adhering to 

 sea-weed are considerably softer in texture than 

 those which are washed ashore ; and in very recent 

 ones the white and yolk of an egg may be distinctly 

 seen. There are still some points connected with 

 the economy and hatching of those eggs which would 

 require a little clearing up. Thus, for instance, 

 though it is probable that the eggs grow in size after 

 they are deposited, because those of apparently the 

 same species differ so very much in bulk, yet the 

 fact has not been ascertained in a manner perfectly 

 satisfactory. 



Cuvier divides the family into various sections. 

 First, Rhirwbatus, or shark-rays, which have the tail 

 thick, fleshy, and furnished with two distinct dorsals, 

 and a caudal fin well developed. Their bodies are 

 in the form of a rhomboid, much pointed at. the snout, 

 and not so broad in the pectorals as the rays properly 



so called. Their teeth are also closely placed in 

 fives, arranged quincunx ; but in other respects they 

 are like the rest. The name Rlanobatus does not 

 mean shark-skate, but nosed-skate, meaning thereby 

 that the snout is very much produced in them. Some 

 naturalists have subdivided, thereby separating from 

 the rest, certain species which have the same charac- 

 ters of the tail, but the muzzle short and rounded, 

 approaching in form to that of the Torpedo. 



Secondly, Torpedo, which have the tail still stout 

 and fleshy, but shorter than in the long-nosed ones. 

 In them the disc is rounded, and the muzzle divided 

 into two parts, upon each of which a portion of the 

 pectoral fin advances, till their edges are farther for- 

 ward than the central part of the muzzle. Between 

 the pectorals and the gills in this section there is an 

 electric, or rather a galvanic apparatus, capable of 

 giving pretty powerful shocks in the case of a large 

 fish ; but we shall have to notice that when we come 

 to the details of a few of the species. 



Thirdly, Raia, the rays properly so called, or the 

 true skate. They have the disc rhomboidal, the tail 

 slender, with two very small dorsal fins near the ex- 

 tremity, and sometimes with a mere rudiment of a 

 caudal fin at the end, sometimes with none. Their 

 teeth are slender, and placed in quincunxes upon the 

 jaws. 



Fourthly, Trigou, sting-rays. They have the disc 

 in general short and obtuse, and each side of the tail 

 furnished with a sharp and hard spine, roughened or 

 toothed, which inflicts very painful wounds, but is 

 not poisoned, as is sometimes alleged. 



Fifthly, Anacanthus, spineless rays, resembling the 

 sting-rays in the general shape of their bodies, but 

 having the tail long, slender, and \\itlfout either 

 spines, appendage, or dorsal fin. 



Sixthly, Myliobatus, sea-eagles, which have the 

 head partly detached from, and in advance of, the 

 pectoral fins ; the anterior rays of their fins very 

 long, and the others gradually shortening backwards, 

 till the whole fin has a slight resemblance to the wing 

 of a bird. 



Seventhly, Cephaloptera, winged heads, which have 

 the pectorals very long, the head in general truncated, 

 and two portions of the pectorals advancing by the 

 sides of the head, something in the form of horns. 



In some of these sections the species are numerous, 

 and in others they are comparatively few ; but in one 

 or other of their species they are found in almost all 

 seas, some numerous and others rare. The ones 

 which are best as human food are always the most 

 numerous ; and this is especially the case in the 

 British seas, where the valuable ones can be had in 

 great abundance ; while those that are of compara- 

 tively small value, except as curiosities, occur only as 

 stragglers, for the use of naturalists. We shall con- 

 fine our short notices of the details chiefly to the 

 British species, as they will afford the means of 

 glancing at all, or nearly all, the sections. 



RHINOBATUS. There are several species of this 

 section, all of them having a good deal of resemblance 

 to the sharks ; but it does not appear that any of 

 them have hitherto occurred in the British seas, 

 though they are found in the Mediterranean, the Red 

 sea, the seas within the tropics, and in some of the 

 temperate latitudes of the Pacific. The short-nosed 

 ones are found in the seas of China ; and there is 

 said to be one on the coasts of Brazil which gives 

 shocks like the torpedo. The species of the Medi- 



