248 FISHES. 



Squatina*, Dumer. 



The Angels have Spiracles, but no anal, as in the third division of 

 the Squali, but differing from all of them in the mouth, which is cleft 

 at the end of the snout and not beneath, and in the eyes, which are 

 placed on its dorsal surface and not on the sides. The head is round, 

 the body broad and horizontally flattened, the pectoral large and 

 extending forwards, but separated from the body by a fissure where 

 the branchial orifices are pierced; the two dorsals are behind the 

 ventrals, and the caudal is equally attached both above and beneath. 

 The 



Squat, angel us ; Squaltts squatina, L. : Bl., 116f (The Angel- 

 Fish), attains a considerable size in the European seas. Its skin 

 is rough, and the edges of the pectorals are furnished with small 

 spines, (a) 



Pristis \, Lath. 



The Saw-fishes form a fourth genus. To the elongated form of the 

 Squali it unites a body flattened before and branchiae opening below, 

 as in the Rays ; but its peculiar character consists in a very long 

 depressed snout resembling the blade of a sword, armed on each side 

 with stout, bony, trenchant and pointed spines, planted like teeth. 

 This beak, from which these fishes derive their name, is a most 

 powerful weapon, and with it they attack the largest Whales. The 

 true teeth of their jaws resemble small paving stones, like those of a 

 Mustelus. 



The common species, Pristis antiquorum, Lath. ; Squal. pristis, 

 L. The Saw-fish attains a length of twelve or fifteen feet. 



Raia %, Lin. 



The Rays forms a less numerous genus than the Squali. They are 

 recognised by the horizontally flattened body which resembles a 

 disk, from its union with the extremely broad and fleshy pectorals 

 which are joined to each other before or to the snout, and which 

 extend behind the two sides of the abdomen as far as the base of the 

 ventrals. The scapulae of these pectorals are articulated with the 

 spine behind the branchiae. The eyes and spiracles are seated on 

 the dorsal surface, the mouth, nostrils, and orifices of the branchiae on 



* Rine, in Greek, Squatina and Squatus in Latin : the ancient names of this 

 fish still used in Greece and Italy. 



+ Add Squat, aruleata, Dum£r., of the Mediterranean, which has a row of strong 

 spines along the back; — Squat. Dumerilii, Lesueur, Ac. Nat. Sc.Philad., I, x, with 

 a granulated skin, &c. 



X Pristis, (a saw) the Greek name of this fish. Species : Pristis antiquorum ; — 

 Pi: pectinatus ; — Pr. cuspidatus ; — Pr. microdot) ; — Prist, cirrhatus. See Lath., 

 Trans, of the Lin. Soc. vol. II, p. 2S2, pi. 26 and 27 ; — Pristis semi-cagittafvs, 

 Shaw., Russel, I, 13. 



§ Raia, in Latin, Batis and Bafos, in Greek, are the ancient names of these 

 fishes. 



r^ (a) The Romans used this skin for polishing wood and ivory, as Pliny states ; 

 and it is till used as shagreen — Eng. Ed. 



