KISUKS — WAITK. 41 



posterior iiiar<,'iii of tlie eyes .and the shoulder <,'irdle. ()n the 

 iunder side, tlie spinous rostral portion extends to the nostrils and 

 is continued f(jr some distance along the niari^in of the disc, and 

 as a band on each side to the level of the mouth. 



In the female the two large patches of spines between the eye 

 and the margin of the disc, and also those at the angle, are absent; 

 on the under side the spines extend for some distance along the 

 margin, but are not continued towards the nostrils. There are 

 five rows of spines on the tail instead of three only, as in the 

 male ; of tliese the outer row is the sliortest and is composed of 

 nine or ten pairs. The sides and the fins are spiniferous as in the 

 male and similarly a spine exists between the fins. 



Colour. — Above, the colour is uniform olive-brown, lighter on 

 the snout and at the margin of the disc ; beneath it is lighter, with 

 scattered brown spots and with 3'ellow marks at the bases of the 

 discs and on the ventral tins. The numerous pores on the under 

 side of the snout and head are also black. 



Family N"AKCOBATIDJE. 



NARCINE, Jlenle. 



NARCINE TASMANIENSIS, Richardson. 



Tasmanian Numbfish. 



.Narcine tasmaniensis, Rich., Proc. Zool. Soc, 1840, p. 29, and 

 Trans. Zool. Soc, iii., 1849, p. 178, pi. xi., fig. 2. 



Station 42. 



All the specimens seen by Richardson were females. Our 

 single example is a male. This does not appear to differ from 

 the description excepting in the sexual characters and the nature 

 ■of the teeth. While agreeing in their general character and dis- 

 position, the teeth of the male are spiniferous, a very common 

 sexual distinction in the Rays ; the dental lamella? are very 

 flexible, and the mouth is small and protractile. The fleshy 

 portion of the tail is broader towards its extremity than in 

 Richardson's figure (2a), or in other words, its tapering is much 

 more obtuse. The claspers are blunt and short, not longer than 

 the distance of the eye from the anterior margin of the disc. The 

 colour above is a warm brown, much redder than in the figure 

 quoted ; the sides of the tail and the inferior anterior margin of 

 the disc are yellowish, the under side, including the claspers, 

 ■ above and below, white. Length of specimen, 343 mm. (13|- 

 .inches). 



