78 Catalogue of the Fishes of Connecticut. 



*165. Raia Americana, Dekay, Prickly Ray, New London ? 

 *166. Trigon centroura, Mitchill, Whip-tailed Sting Ray, 

 Stratford. 



I am induced to believe that different species of rays produce very different eggs; 

 or otherwise, that the egg-cases themselves, after exuded by the mother, are capa- 

 ble to and actually do increase in size and vary in shape, until the young ray is 

 hatched, (e. g.) Of two now before me, both inflated, one measures 1 and one- 

 seventh inches wide, and 2 inches long, and the other 1 inch wide, and 1^ inches 

 long, while the longest horns on the less measure 2 inches long, and the longest 

 on the larger, only 1 inch. Yet the undivided filaments on the larger are twice 

 the length of the divided filaments of the less. Large quantities of a bissus issue 

 each side of the less ; while nothing like it is found in the larger. The inside of 

 the less case contained a substance like the yolk of an egg, the mere embryo. It 

 was much less solid than those I had taken from this fish without any cases attach- 

 ed. There is something to me as yet inexplicable on this subject. Mr. William 

 Plumb, of this town, who is in the habit of taking many " skates," (a popular 

 name among fishermen, by which the whole family is embraced,) informs me, that 

 two years since, he struck a female skate with a spear, and while she was dying three 

 young skates were dischargsd at the vent, neither of which could swim. On open- 

 ing her they found another still alive, and of the same size as the other three dis- 

 charged. The question now is, how came they there .'' Or is any species of this 

 animal, viviparous? Or do the young return again to the mother after hatching.'' 



*165. Mr. Landon of Bridgeport, already mentioned, informs me, that a species 

 of ray answering exactly to Dr. Dekay 's figure of this, (plate 66, fig. 215,) is taken 

 in great abundance at New London, and is there called pwppy-Jisli. I notice in the 

 New Edinburgh Encyclopedia, that the popular name puppy-fish is applied to the 

 Squatina vulgaris, (angel-fish.) A species of Squatina, Dr. Dekay believes, has 

 been found in New York, and has figured and described it in his last Report. But 

 though this latter fish is clearly allied to the ray family, still it is so dissimilar in 

 shape, that if there is no mistake in Mr. Landon, (who by the way is quite dis- 

 criminating in subjects of zoology,) his fish may prove to be the Raia batis, Linn., 

 which is common in the Sound. Hence though found by Dr. Dekay at New York, 

 it is inserted here with some hesitation, and a query ? to be hereafter determined. 



*166. Many of this species are taken here. From one about 10 feet long, and 

 Ail feet wide, I severed the tail near half the length of the fish, which had three 

 spines. The longest from the root measured 5J inches, and nearly ^ an inch wide. 

 The other two were a trifle less. I forwarded this to Dr. Storer, 1S43, and was 

 pleased to find my label meet his approbation. As this fish has no fins on the tail, 

 of course it does not belong to the genus Raia. As I have not seen the English 

 Pastinaca, I am, perhaps, incompetent to decide ; but I have yet to learn why this 

 is not the true Trigon pastinaca, of Linn., as described also by Cuvier, page 294, 

 Vol. II, (New York edition, by Dr. M'Murtrie, 1831.) If so, it has the priority to 

 Mitchiil's T. centroura. I have no doubt that my fish is the same species of 

 Trigon, noticed by Dr. Storer in the B. J. of N. History, Vol. IV, pages 186 and 

 187 ; and from my examination of many individuals of different ages and sizes, I 

 am induced to believe that the lo7ig spines at the root of the tail increase in num- 

 ber with age, like the number of rattles in the tail of the Crotalus. Some smaller 

 have no spine, some one, others two to three. This is the greatest number I have 

 found, and those are the longest fish. Cuvier, on page 295, (as above,) note 3, 

 mentions a ray with five spines. " Voy. de Freycin, Zool., 62, f. 3." This greatly 



