CARTILAGINOUS FISHES. 



633 



other parts of the world. Labat tells us of a 

 prodigious ray that was speared by the 

 negroes at Guadaloupe, which was thirteen 

 feet eight inches broad, and above ten feet 

 from the snout to the insertion of the tail. 

 The tail itself was in proportion, for it was 

 no less than fifteen feet long, twenty inches 

 broad at its insertion, and tapering to a point. 

 The body was two feet in depth ; the skin as 

 thick as leather, and marked with spots; 

 which spots, in all of this kind, are only 

 glands, that supply a mucus to lubricate and 

 soften the skin. This enormous fish was 

 utterly unfit to be eaten by Europeans ; but 

 the negroes chose out some of the nicest bits, 

 and carefully salted them up as a most favou- 

 rite provision. 



Yet, large as this may seem, it is very pro- 

 bable that we have seen only the smallest of 

 the kind ; as they generally keep at the bot- 

 tom, the largest of the kind are seldom seen; 

 and, as they may probably have been grow- 

 ing for ages, the extent of their magnitude is 

 unknown. It is generally supposed, however, 

 that they are the largest inhabitants of the 

 doep ; and, were we to credit the Norway 

 Bishop, there are some above a mile over. 

 But to suppose an animal of such a magni- 

 tude is absurd ; yet the over-stretching the 

 supposition does not destroy the probability 

 that animals of this tribe grow to an enor- 

 mous size. 



The ray generally chooses for its retreat 

 such parts of the sea as have a black muddy 

 bottom; the large ones keep at greater 

 depths ; but the smaller approach ihe shores, 

 and feed upon whatever living animals they 

 can surprise, or whatever putrid substances 

 they meet with. As they are ravenous, they 

 easily take the bait, yet will not touch it if it 

 be taken up and kept a day or two out of 

 water. Almost all fish appear much more 

 delicate with regard to a baited hook than 

 their ordinary food. They appear by their 

 m inner to perceive the line, and to dread it; 

 but the impulse of their hunger is too great 

 for their caution ; and, even though they per- 

 ceive (he danger, if thoroughly hungry they 

 devour the destruction. 



These fish genernt" in March and April ; 

 at which time only they are seen swimming 

 near the surface of the water, several of the 



males pursuing one female. They adhere so 

 fast together in coition, that the fishermen 

 frequently draw up both together, though 

 only one has been hooked. The females are 

 prolific to an extreme degree; there having 

 been no less than three hundred eggs taken 

 out of the body of a single ray. These eggs 

 are covered with a tough horny substance, 

 which they acquire in the womb ; for before 

 they descend into that, they are attached to 

 the ovary pretty much in the same manner 

 as in the body of a pullet. From this ovary, 

 or egg-bag, as it is vulgarly called, the fish's 

 eggs drop one by one into the womb, and 

 there receive a shell by th concretion of the 

 fluids of that organ. When come to the pro- 

 per maturity, they are excluded, but never 

 above one or two at a time, and often at in- 

 tervals of three or four hours. These eggs, 

 or purses, as the fishermen call them, are usu- 

 ally cast about the beginning of May, and they 

 continue casting during the whole summer. 

 In October, when their breeding ceases, th'y 

 are exceedingly poor and thin; but in Novem- 

 ber they begin to improve, and grow gradu- 

 ally better till May, when they are in the 

 highest perfection. 



It is chiefly during the winter season that 

 our fishermen take them ; but the Dutc! , who 

 are indefatigable, begin their operations 

 earlier, and fish with better success than we. 

 The method practised by the fishermen of 

 Scarborough is thought to be the best among 

 the English ; and as Mr. Pennant has given 

 a very succinct account of it, I will take 

 leave to present it to the reader. 



" When they go out to fish, each person is 

 provided with three lines: each man's lines 

 are fairly coiled upon a flat oblong piece of 

 wicker-work ; the hooks being baited and 

 placed very regularly in the centre of the 

 coil. Each line is furnished with two hun- 

 dred and eighty hooks, at the distance of six 

 feet two inches from each other. The hooks 

 are fastened to lines of twisted horse-hair, 

 twenty-seven inches in length. 



" When fishing, there are always three men 

 in each coble ; and consequently nine of 

 these lines are fastened together, and us^d 

 as one line, extending in length near three 

 miles, and furnished with above two thousand 

 five hundred hooks. An anchor and a buoy 



