RAJ ANIA R ALL US. 



interesting family of the rays by noticing- at least 

 one of the remaining, and most singular section ol 

 the whole, Cephalaptera. 



These, from the singular projection of a lobe of 

 the pectoral tins in advance of each side of the head, 

 but attached to it as far as it goes, have been called 

 horned rays. They are found in nearly the 'same 

 - as the eagle rays, namely, the Mediterranean 

 and the distant oceans ; and mention is made of one 

 as having- occurred on the shores of North America. 

 Some years ago a specimen was found washed ashore, 

 we believe, on some part of the south coast of Ire- 

 land; and the mutilated remains are, or were, in the 

 possession of the Dublin Royal Society, though not 

 in a condition for enabling' any one to make out the 

 species. 



In their general form the Ccphaloptem resemble 

 the eagle rays ; but they have the distinction between 

 the body and the pectoral fins still more marked, the 

 body shorter and thicker, the fins longer in propor- 

 tion to their breadth,, and the serrated weapon 

 nearer the base of the tail. The eyes are also 

 nearer the extremity of the head (there is no muzzle), 

 and farther apart from each other laterally. The 

 membrane which advances on each side of the head 

 forms a curved margin to the front, with the con- 

 cavity outwards, and the points advancing till the 

 curved margin forms an arc greater than a semi- 

 circle. The under side of the membrane returns in 

 straight lines to the lower part of the head, giving 

 this singular appendage something the appearance 

 of a sort of scoop, with the opening downwards, and 

 bevelled off at the end till the angles at the opening 

 are considerably in advance of the edge between 

 them. The pectoral fins have a solid appearance for 

 great part of their extent, and then a radiated border, 

 which is much larger at the tips of the fins than any- 

 where else. The anal fins appear as if they were 

 part of this border, only separated from the rest of it 

 by a small notch, and rounded at their extremities. 

 The body has but a very slight resemblance tq that 

 of any other fish. It is thick and round, a little nar- 

 rower at the origin of the tail than at the head, but 

 narrowing rapidly at both ends, and having some- 

 tiling the form of an oblong gourd. 



The specimen found on the south coast of Ireland 

 measured three feet nine inches from tip to tip of 

 the dorsal fins ; but that is nothing to the size of 

 some (whether of the same species as that one or not 

 we cannot determine) that have been seen in the 

 Mediterranean. These are the Cephaloptcra giorna 

 of Kisso. The body is large, turned, elliptical in 

 the cross section, and smooth on the surface, there 

 being no serous appendage except the serrated 

 weapon near the base of the tail. The colour 

 is indigo blue, but with reflections of blackish 

 blue, brown, and violet, when seen in different 

 lights. The under part is dull white, without any 

 reflections. The eyes are silver grey. There are 

 other species, or at all events coloured varieties, in 

 the Mediterranean ; but they are not verf clearly 

 made out. Some of them are huge fishes, for a spe- 

 cimen has been mentioned which weighed fully six 

 hundred pounds. They appear to keep out at sea ; 

 but nothing is known of their manners or their food. 

 Their teetli are, however, much smaller than those 

 of the sting ray and the eajjle ray. They are 

 strangely-formed animals ; and with them we must 

 close our notice of the family of the rays, which, to 



those who study the structure and action of animals, is 

 one of the most interesting- in the animal kingdom. 



RAJANI A (Linnteus). A genus of West Indian 

 climbing shrubs, belonging to Dloscorces. The species 

 are stove plants, and are increased by dividing the 

 root. 



RALLUS RAIL, or rather perhaps RAI.LID^, 

 the rail family. A genus of Ec/iassiers, or stilt-birds, 

 belonging to Cuvier's macrodactylic or long-toed 

 family. Bechstein and some others have divided 

 them into two genera, from the different lengths of 

 their bills, considering those that have the bill longer 

 as the true rails, and those which have it shorter as 

 crakes ; but, for popular purposes, the distinction is 

 of very little use. 



Taking the whole of them together, the generic 

 characters are as follow : the bill longer than the 

 head, straight or slightly curved, compressed at the 

 base, and cylindrical toward the tips, the upper man- 

 dible channelled; the nostrils opening longitudinally 

 at the base of the bill, in the grooves, open through 

 and through, but in part closed with membrane ; 

 legs very stout, bare of feathers to some distance 

 above the tarsal joints, with three long toes to the 

 front and one to the rear articulated on the tarsus, 

 the front toes free or divided to their bases ; the 

 wings of mean length and rounded, the first quill 

 being shorter than the second, and the third and 

 fourth the longest ia the wing. 



Though the rails are entirely without webs to 

 their feet, yet, with the exception of the coots and 

 gallinules, they are among the most aquatic birds in 

 the whole order. In this respect there are differences 

 among them. Some are constantly by the banks of 

 streams, often running along the submerged plants, 

 and sometimes along the water itself, where they 

 move so rapidly that the water actually appears to 

 support their footsteps ; while others do not go 

 directly into the water, or even lurk in the aquatic 

 herbage on the margin, but they run about in the 

 tall herbage of moist corn-fields and meadows, where 

 their notes are often and readily heard, though the 

 birds themselves are but seldom seen. Of this the 

 common corncrake affords a remarkable instance ; for 

 there are many districts where its cry is heard from 

 every humid field during the season, and yet where 

 the oldest of the country people never saw a corn- 

 crake, or have the least notion as to what it is like. 



The food of the whole genus is understood to be 

 chiefly animal, consisting of worms, mollusca, and 

 such insects and larva? as are found in the damp and 

 shaded places which the birds frequent. They may 

 be understood as preserving from the ravages of small 

 animals the vegetation of places which few other birds 

 frequent. In one or another of these species they 

 are found in almost all parts of the world where 

 there are water and.herbage to conceal them. They 

 very rarely take the wing, unless it be the migratory 

 ones in seasonally changing their habitations, and in 

 these cases tlTey are rarely seen. They do not flock 

 at any season, and they come and go in so stealthy 

 and silent a manner that they are not seen. Those 

 which inhabit the banks of streams are more fre- 

 quently seen than those which live in the corn-fields 

 and other expanses of tall herbage, but even with 

 them it is only a sight and away. They may be 

 caused to (iw along the side of a pool where the banks 

 are clear, but they are never far from a cover of 

 bushes or herbage, in which they very quickly con- 



