70 CHAPTERS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY 



order, and apparently with little effort. True Rays are egg- 

 layers, but the Torpedoes or Electric Kays are viviparous. Rays' 

 eggs are quite characteristic, resembling closely those of certain 

 Sharks and Dogfish. They are parchment-like affairs, with 

 tough, oblong, flat shells, which latter are drawn out into string- 

 like, twisted horns. These serve as means of attachment to ma- 

 rine plants and other objects, to keep the egg-case at rest during 

 the development of its contents. Female Rays are larger than 

 the males, and their breeding habits are remarkable, as well as 

 interesting. It will be seen from my figures that their tails are 

 often drawn out into whiplike appendages, and the fins of the 

 back are often modified. Sting-rays have these latter replaced 

 by a strong spine, with serrated edges. I have collected these, 

 and some of them have been as much as five or six inches long 

 (Fig. 10). Painful wounds are inflicted by this dangerous weapon, 

 for by violently lashing its whip-like tail, a sting-ray can easily 

 lacerate most unmercifully its intended victim, and then if the 

 mucus of the fish happens to enter the wounds, a poisonous ef- 

 fect ensues, thus aggravating matters still more. In some spe- 

 cies there are two of these spines, while in other Rays the entire 

 tail is bedecked with thorns, and this kind of ray is very gener- 

 ally eaten in Europe, in common with other species. Sting-rays 

 often grow 7 to be as big as the Skates, and specimens weighing 

 500 pounds are sometimes secured. Volumes have been written 

 about the Rays (Batoidei) and much of it is very entertaining and 

 instructive, but let us next pass to a brief consideration of their 

 nearest allies, or to the Sharks. 



Now, although the majority of species of Sharks are very dif- 

 ferent appearing fishes from the Rays, they have, nevertheless, 

 many important characteristics in common with them. Then, 

 too, even in the matter of appearance, the Sawfish, although 

 most nearly related to the rays, has a form approaching some 

 Sharks, while the Angel-fish (Squatina), among the latter, is a 

 very ray-like looking Shark. The group contains a number of 

 families, including such well-known forms as the Dogfish or 

 Hounds. Smooth or Blue Dogfish are very common in Long 

 Island Sound, where, many years ago, I used to catch numbers 

 of them off the reefs. In the same waters, I have also frequently 

 taken the Spiny Dogfish, or " Bonefish," as the fishermen call it, 

 off the coast of Connecticut. These little sharks are very abun- 

 dant there, and in former years were of great economical impor- 



