406 Mr. M’Coy on some rare Fish 
brown surrounded by a circle of white irregular spots, and 
some irregular white markings in the centre, instead of the 
numerous small white spots of the Sandy Ray; but as colour- 
ing is of no manner of importance in this family, I need only 
mention that the species of which I now write appears to me 
to differ from the Sandy Ray in having the surface of the 
body covered with minute spines directed backwards, and by 
the length of the tail, which measures, from the vent to the 
tip of the tail, two-sevenths more than the length of the body — 
measured from the same point to the tip of the snout; the 
body being smooth in the Sandy Ray, and the tail remark- 
ably short; which, in addition to its rough skin, and its ha- 
ving the characteristic outline and disposition of the spines to 
be remarked in the Sandy Ray, will distinguish it from the 
Homelyn. I give a description of a specimen now before me, 
that the species may be recognized. 
Length 163 inches. 
Descrir. (Form.) Somewhat rhomboidal; the greatest trans- 
verse diameter 9 inches; length from the vent to the tip of the 
snout 7 inches; body moderately thick; snout and anterior part of 
the pectorals the same as in the Sandy Ray; mouth 1} inch; 18 
inch from the snout; the nostrils in a line with the angles of the 
mouth; the distance from the angles of the mouth to the nostril 
one-half of that from the nostril to the margin of the pectoral fin: 
eyes large ; spiracles rather small, less than the diameter of the orbit, 
oval, placed obliquely close behind the eye, their longest diameter 
pointing upwards and outwards; skin above roughened by minute 
spines directed backwards, largest on the anterior margins of the 
pectorals ; under surface smooth, except beneath the snout and for a 
little way along the anterior margin of the pectorals; a semicircle of 
six or eight spines round the inner margin of the orbits, and a few 
on the tip of the snout; the four short rows of spines about, or 
rather anterior to the middle of the back, are less distinctly marked 
in this specimen than in others I have seen. At some distance be- 
low these are two rows of equally large hooked spines, which are 
continued along the tail; there are four rows of large spines on the 
tail, all directed backwards; but the ridge or central line of the tail 
might be said to be comparatively unarmed, as in R. chagrinia, there 
being only a few small blunt tubercles in the specimen before me, 
and even these were absent in a specimen shown me by my friend 
Captain Portlock; all the larger spines on the body are radiated 
at their base somewhat as in the Starry Ray, R. radiata: tail con- 
siderably longer than the body, measuring in the specimen before 
me 9 inches, equal to the greatest breadth of the fish, rounded 
above, flattened beneath; dorsals rather closer to each other than 
the height of the first dorsal fin; pectorals more abruptly rounded 
off below than in the Sandy Ray. (Colour.) Upper surface of an 
uniform light yellowish brown, darkest towards the centre; on each 
