FISHES, 4'99 



imafi^iiie he is only handling a skate, when he is instantly struck 

 nvimb by the torpedo ; he may suppose he has caught a thorn- 

 back, till he is stung by the tire-flare. It will be proper, there- 

 fore, after describing the general figure of these animals to mark 

 their differences. 



All fish of the ray kind are broad, cartilaginous, swimming 

 flat on the water, and having spines on diff'erent parts of their 

 body, or at the tail. They all have their eyes and mouth placed 

 quite under the body, with apertures for breathing either about or 

 near them. They all have teeth, or a rough bone, which ansvvei s 

 the same purpose. Their bowels are very wide towards the 

 mouth, and go on diminishing to the tail. The tail is very difl^er. 

 ently shaped from that of other fishes ; and at first sight more re- 

 sembling that of a quadruped, being narrow, and ending either in 

 a bunch or a point. But what they aie chiefly distinguished by, 

 is, their spines or prickles, which the difiTerent species have on 

 diflferent parts of their body. Some are armed with spines both 

 above and below ; others have them on the upper part only ; 

 some have their spines at the tail ; some have three rows of them, 

 and others but one. These prickles in some are comparatively 

 soft and feeble j those of others, strong and piercing. The 

 smallest of these spines are usually inclining towards the tail ; 

 the larger towards the head. 



It is by the spines that these animals are distinguished from 

 each other. The skate has the middle of the back rough, and a 

 single row of spines on the tail.* The sharp-nosed ray has ten 

 spines that are situated towards the middle of the back. The 



* Tlie skate is a well known fish, long and flat, if not caupht before his 

 full (frowtli, when he is from five to six feet in length. His skin is black, 

 and so very hiird and rough, that it is often employed in polishing wood and 

 ivory like the skin of a sea dog. This fish is extremely voracious, and arm. 

 ed with terrible teeth ; nevertheless he has recourse to stratagem, catrhintf 

 his living food by concealing himself under the sands. The French make of 

 its ashes an excellent soap for a certain cutaneous disorder, which is g<"ne- 

 rally cured by sulphur, and by tliem called savon d'atige. Pliny attributed 

 to the flesh of this fish a singular virtue when applied fresh to the necks of 

 women, — that of preventing thera from growing too largo : it is ccrtiiin it 

 was very much used by tl.e Romans ; and Uondelet, one of the first na- 

 turalists of the sixteenth century, assures us that he tried the experiment , 

 with success. Skate are found in abundance on the coasts of Britain, and 

 arc in season from November to May, although the voung ones are ({uoJ 

 throughout the year. 



