THE EGG OF THE DOG-FISH 13 



and hard that it is very difficult indeed to tear it. 

 And from each corner there projects a slender 

 tube, about an inch in length. In fact it looks 

 rather like a hand-barrow, with handles in front 

 as well as at the back, instead of wheels. 



This is an egg of that very curious fish which 

 we call the Skate, and which looks something like 

 one of the " flat " fishes with a long whip-like tail. 

 So it is sometimes called a "skate-barrow." 

 When it is flung up on the beach by the waves 

 the egg is nearly always empty. But if you 

 happen to be staying by the sea-side in the early 

 spring, and go down for a walk along the beach 

 after a violent storm, you may perhaps find one 

 of these eggs with a baby skate inside it. And if 

 you examine the egg very carefully, you will find 

 that while one end is firmly closed up, the other 

 end has a slit running right across it, and that 

 this slit is made in such a way that it allows the 

 little fish to pass out quite easily when the proper 

 time comes, but quite prevents any other creature 

 from coming in. 



PLATE VI 



THE EGG OF THE DOG-FISH (2) 



On some parts of the coast you may often 

 find an empty egg which is very much like that 

 of the skate, for it is made of just the same horny 

 material, and is of just the same shape. But 



