THORNBACK. 437 



Thornback, which, on the Cornish coast, is preeminently 

 distinguished as the Ray. The Thornback is also taken com- 

 monly both on the coast of Scotland and Ireland. From the 

 good quality of the flesh of this fish, and the immense quan- 

 tity taken every year, the Thornback, and its female, the 

 Maid, is one of the most valuable of the species. Mr. Couch 

 says that the flesh takes salt well, and in this preserved state 

 affords the poor fishermen and their families many wholesome 

 meals when stormy weather prevents them obtaining fresh 

 supplies. The Thornback is taken in the greatest abund- 

 ance during spring and summer, because the fish then fre- 

 quent sandy bottoms in shallower water and nearer the shore 

 than usual, for the purpose of depositing their eggs ; but the 

 flesh of the Thornback at this season is not, as before no- 

 ticed, so firm as in autumn and winter. It is in the best 

 condition for table about November. Their food is various 

 other fish, particularly Flatfish, testaceous mollusca, and crus- 

 tacea. 



Bloch's figure, plate 83, represents the female of this spe- 

 cies, under the name of R. clavata ; and the fish next in 

 succession in that work, plate 84, is the male of the same 

 species, but is called R. rubus, although most of the syno- 

 nymes quoted are those of clavata. 



The figure here given was taken from a young male mea- 

 suring fourteen inches in breadth. The point of the nose is 

 but little produced : the anterior margins of the pectorals are 

 undulated ; the outline behind each lateral angle of the pec- 

 torals nearly straight, or slightly rounded : the eyes and tem- 

 poral orifices rather large, with two or three strong hooked 

 spines both before and behind them. The whole upper surface 

 of the body rough with small points, which when examined 

 with a lens have stellated bases. Besides these, there are dis- 

 tributed over this upper surface numerous nail-like tubercular 



