R A I A. 



519 



the upper surface of the disc is leaden grey, and the 

 . surface is beset with tubercles, whence the name of 

 the shagreen ray ; there are two rows of small spines 

 on the snout ; and the old males have often a tuft 

 of small spines above each eye ; there are a few 

 scattered spines down the dorsal ridge, and some near 

 the anterior edges of the pectorals ; the tail has one 

 mesial row of small spines and two lateral ones ; it 

 lessens to a point, and the fins upon it, and also the 

 ventral fins, are very small ; the under part of the 

 body is dull greyish white, marked with dusky spots, 

 something in the same manner as the grey skate. 

 Indeed, in its general form, this species has more 

 resemblance to the grey skate than to any of the 

 Others, 'notwithstanding] the greater length of the 

 nose, the rougher character of the upper surface of 

 the disc, and the greater number of the spines on 

 the tail. In the summer it comes upon the banks 

 within reach of the trawl-net; but in the cold wea- 

 ther it betakes itself to deeper water, in which, how- 

 ever, it is highly probable that it could be taken with 

 the hook ; and'if so, there is no doubt that it would 

 be found in better condition than it is in summer, 

 when it comes into more shallow water for the pur- 

 pose of depositing its eggs. No mention is made of 

 the long-nosed skate on the north coasts. 



The above enumeration contains all the species of 

 this very curious and interesting section of the ray 

 family which have hitherto been found in the British 

 sea?/ Those that are different from these, and occdr 

 in other parts of the world, are of comparatively little 

 interest to the general reader. We must, however, 

 notice one species at least of each of Cuvier's other 

 sections of the family. 



THE STING-RAY (Tri/gon pagtinaca). This is a 

 curious species. It has been long known, and not a 

 little celebrated on account of the formidable weapon 

 with which its tail is armed. It is distributed over a 

 very considerable range of latitude, and though as 

 a British fish it is rare or unknown, except on the 

 1 south coasts of England and Irela'nd, it is met with 

 on the coasts of Norway, and it is common' in the 

 Mediterranean. The severe wounds which the wea- 

 pon on the tail is capable of inflicting, led to a very 

 general belief that the weapon was envenomed. We 

 need not wonder at this, for the same was long be- 

 lieved of the antlers of deer. Ragged weapons, 

 though they of course infuse no positive venom into 

 wounds made by them, yet have often effects more 

 fatal than venom, unless it be venom of the more 

 deadly reptiles, of which the ancients knew but little. 

 The lacerations which they make may bring on great 

 pain, and even tetanus, which was no doubt the cause 

 of these notions of poison. The disc of the sting-ray 

 approximates to the form of a hexagon, of which the 

 terminations of the ventral fins form the posterior and 

 shortest side, but they extend beyond the pos- 

 terior lobes of the pectorals ; the body is smooth on 

 the upper part, excepting a few tubercles on the 

 dorsal line, and others near the posterior margins of 

 the pectorals. It is thicker in the middle than the 

 disc of any of the other rays, but gets thin toward 

 the sides ; the middle of the upper part is bluish 

 brown, passing into dull yellow toward the margins ; 

 the under part is white"; the irides are golden yel- 

 low ; and the vent-holes opening obliquely behind 

 and outwards of the eyes are very large ; the mem- 

 branes of the nostrils are also large, but the mouth is 

 small, compared with the size of the fish. 



The most peculiar part of its structure is the tail ; 

 it is very thick, strong, and muscular at the base, 

 tapering gradually to a very slender point, and with- 

 out the smallest vestige of a fin on any part of its 

 length. About one-third from the base of the tail, the 

 weapon called the sting is inserted on the dorsal 

 aspect ; this spine is nearly one-third the length of 

 the body, exclusive of the tail ; on the upper and 

 under sides it is flat, but the two edges are serrated 

 with very awkward-looking crooked teeth, and the 

 point is very sharp. In a specimen measuring about 

 two foot in breadtlj from angle to angle of the pec- 

 torals, this weapon is not less than six inches in 

 length. In illustration of the manner in which the 

 sting-ray uses its formidable weapon, we cannot, do 

 better than quote a short passage from Mr. YarrelFs 

 " British Fishes," vol. ii., pp. 443, 444." Mr. Couch 

 .in his MS. says, ' This species keeps on the sandy 

 ground at no great distance from our land, and in sum- 

 mer wanders into shallow water, where it is often en- 

 tangled in the fishermen's nets the only way in which 

 it is usually caught, for it rarely swallows a bait. The 

 manner in which this fish defends itself shows its con- 

 sciousness of theiormidable weapon it carries in its tail." 



It shows no such thing, and we sincerely wish that 

 these accurate and excellent observers would learn a 

 little a very little of sound philosophy. Conscious- 

 ness, even in man, is very like one of those words 

 which are invented in order to have the semblance 

 of knowledge in cases where there can be none of 

 the reality ; and when we use it with reference to 

 any other animal, it is jumbling man and animal 

 together. 



" ' When seized or terrified, its habit is to twist its 

 long, slender, and flexible tail round the object of 

 attack, and with the serrated spine tear the surface, 

 lacerating it in a manner calculated to produce vio- 

 lent inflammation.' Other authors state that it is 

 capable of striking its weapon with the swiftness of 

 an arrow into its prey, when with its winding tail it 

 secures 'the capture. These spines, as may be sup- 

 posed, possess no venomous quality : when lacerated 

 wounds happen to men of bad habit of body, the 

 symptoms are frequently severe. In some countries, 

 serrated fish-spines, admitting of easy application by 

 tying, are used to point arrows and spears, which, 

 when thus mounted, become very formidable wea- 

 pons." Such is the latest, and, we may confidently 

 add, the best account of the mode in which the sting- 

 ray uses its caudal blade ; but we are constrained to 

 add, that these notices show upon the face of them 

 that the parties know very little about the matter- 

 indeed they cannot, for the use of the weapon in 

 wild nature ; when the fish has its free range of the 

 sea, is not a subject open to human observation. 

 Analogy and we have nothing else to guide us in 

 such cases would lead to the conclusion that this 

 caudal blade is a weapon of defence ; but in what 

 manner it is used against the natural enemies of the 

 .fish in its own element we have no means of ascer- 

 taining. Still, the sting-ray is, from the peculiarity 

 of its structure, a very interesting animal ; still it is 

 only to the students of nature, and as an object of 

 curiosity, that it has any value ; for, in an economical 

 point of view, it has none. Mr. Yarrell says, " The 

 flesh is said to be rank and disagreeable, and when 

 laid bare by skinning, or by cutting into, is very red 

 a circumstance which may account for the old name 

 of Fire Flaire." 



