54 NEW YOUK STATE MUSEUM 



of the tail. Vovy large examples have the central part of the 

 back closely mailed with small flattened tubercles. The buck- 

 lers bear more resemblance to those of the R a j a e, r a d i a t a 

 and c 1 a V at a, than to the tubercles of p a s 1 1 n a c a, h a s- 

 I a I a. (ir t n b e r c n 1 a t a. Mouth arched forward, with five 

 ])apillae; teeth in (piincunx, blunt, smooth. Color of back and 

 lail olive brown; light to white below. From p a s t i n a c a, 

 which this species resembles in shape, it is distinguished by the 

 tubercles, by the length and compression of the tail, and absence 

 of all trace of keel or expansion on its upper side. A young 

 s])eciiiu'n measures from snout to tail 18.8, in length of tail 

 ;{().;), and width of pectorals 17.5 inches. The largest specimen 

 ill I ho collection has a total length of 10 feet 3 inches (Coll. Mus. 

 Comp. Zobl. Cambridge Mass.). Common south of Cape Cod. 

 Occasionally found northward. (.Vfter (xarman) 



F(iin('i'ly hundreds of individuals were caught annually in 

 Ciavcsend bay, but now it is seldom seen thea'e. The species 

 will live in captivity several months in the spring and summer, 

 .Mitchill records it as occurring on the coast of Long Island. The 

 tail, lie states, is 5 feet or more in length. Storer described a 

 spccinit'U !) feet long. He was informed by Ur Yale that the fish 

 was al)nndant on the flats in the harbor of Holmes's Hole, Mar- 

 tlias X'incyai-d, in -July and August. Near Woods Hole Mass. it 

 is common dni-ing summer, appearing early in July. 



Tile sling rav is mncli dreaded bv fishermen, who sav that 

 wounds made by its spines are exceedingly painful and danger- 

 ous, I lie slime secreted by the fish acting as a poison. 



Subgenus dasvatis 

 J!> Dasyatis hastata (I>e Kay) 



Kit 



I'dsliniicii li(isi,iiit I>|.; ivAY, X. Y. Fiuinn, Fishes. ;'.7;'., pi. f.."!. li.y. _'14. 1842. 



Trjii/tiii lidstdhi Stoiskk, Syn. Fisli. X. A. 2(!1. 1S4C>. 



Ihisihiilis Inistala Cahxiaa, liiill. Hi, U. S. Xat. :^lus. TO, 1883. 



Ddsinilix hdstdKi .JORDAN A: FvERMANN, Bull. 47, T'. S. Nat. Mus. 83. 18!tC.. 



The sting rays of Mie subgenus ]> a s y a t i s differ from the 



'>!" ' ' " > ' " ' :i ill having a inirrow keel or expansion on the 



tail liol li ;il(o\-e ;iii(l below. 



