RAIID^. 343 



especially during May and June (Parnell) : Torksliire at Soarborougli (Pennant), 

 and is occasionally taken along the coast : it is termed French Bay at Whitby and 

 Grimsby (Yorkshire Vertebrata). Montagu observes upon having obtained 

 several on the coast of Devonshire, the largest being a male 3 feet long and 2 feet 

 across. It is rare in Cornwall (Couch). 



Ireland. — One obtained in Portrush in May, 1839 : Captain Portlock remarked 

 in reference to this species, that it " seems to take the place of E. oxyrhynchus on 

 the northern coast " (Thompson). 



The specimen figured is a male 37 inches long from the Firth of Forth, and is 

 in the National collection. 



B. Short-snouted speoies. 

 6. Raia clavata, Plate CLXXI. 



Baja, Belon. p. 79; Rondel, pp. 353, 35i, Gesner, pp. 795, 797; Aldrov. 

 p. 460 ; Willughby, pp. 74, 78, t. D2, f . 2, 3 ; Ray, Synop. Pise. p. 26 ; Salvian. 

 p. 149 ; Artedi, Gen. p. 71, no. 2, Synon. p. 99, no. 2, Spec. p. 103, no. 1 ; 

 Gronov. Mus. Ich. i, p. 140 and Zooph. no. 154. Thornback, Pennant, Brit. Zool. 

 (Ed. 1776) iii, p. 93, pi. xii (Ed. 1812) iii, pp. 122, 124, pi. xiii, xiv; Low, 

 Orkneys, p. 169 ; Duhamel, Peches, iii. Sect, ix, pi. viii, f. 1-4, pi. ix, f. 1, 2. 



Saia clavata, Linn. Syst. i, p. 397; Bloch, t. Ixxxiii (female) ; Bonnaterre, 

 Enc. Ich. p. 4, pi. iii, f. 9 ; Lacep. i, p. 128 ; Bl. Schn. p. 366 ; Donovan, Brit. 

 Fish, ii, pi. xxvi; Turton, p. Ill ; Montagu, Wern. Mem. ii, p. 416 ; Risso, Ich. 

 Nice, p. 11, and Eur. Merid. iii, p. 146; Fleming, p. 170; Fries. Vet. Akad. 

 Handl. 1839, p. 15, pi. ii, f. 1-.3, 7 ; Jenyns, Man. p. 516 ; Pries, and Eks. Skan. 

 Fisk. p. 154, t. XXXV ; Miill. and Henle, p. 135 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (ed. 1) ii, p. 436, 

 c. fig. (ed. 2) ii, p. 582 (ed. 3) ii, p. 581 ; Blainville, Fauna France, p. 528 ; Parnell, 

 Wern. Mem. vii, p. 436, t. xlii ; Templeton, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1837 (2) i, p. 413 ; 

 Johnston, Berwick. N. F. Club, 1838, i, p. 176 ; Gronov. ed Gray, p. 9 ; Kroyer, 

 Danm. Fiske, iii, p. 962, c. fig. ; White, Catal. p. 136 ; Kessler, Bull. Soc. Nat. 

 Moso. 1859, ii, p. 495 ; Nilss. Skan. Fauna, Fisk. iv, p. 735 ; Thompson, N. H. 

 Ireland, iv, p. 262 ; Schlegel, Dieren Neder. p. 198, pi. xx, f. 1 ; CoUett, Norges 

 Fiske, p. 214 ; Dumeril, Ich. i, p. 528 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 456 ; Moreau, 

 Poiss. de la France, i, p. 391, f. 69 ; Winther, Prod. Dan. Mar. p. 60; Malm, 

 Fauna, p. 606 ; Giglioli, Cat. Peso. Ital. p. 54. 



Baia rubus, Bloch, t. Ixxxiv, iii, p. 67 (male) ; Bl. Schn. p. 366 ; Neill, 

 Wern. Memoirs (male). 



Baia cuvieri, Lacep. i, p. 141, pi. vii, f. 1 ; Bl. Schn. p. 367 ; Neill, Wern. 

 Mem. i, p. 554 ; Plena. Brit. An. p. 172 (monstrosity). 



Baia aspera, Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 5, and Eur. Merid. iii, p. 147. 



Dasybatis clavata and ruber, Blainv. F. Fr. pp. 21, 33, t. iii, f. 1, and t. v, f . 2 ; 

 Bonap. Faun. Ital. c. fig. 



Baja punctata, Hollb. Goth. Vet. N. Handl. iv, p. 25 (young). 



Baja pontica, Pall. Zool. Ross. -As. iii, p. 58, pi. viii ; Rathke, Mem. Sav. 

 etran. Ac. Sc. Petersb. 1837, iii, p. 309, pi. ix, x. 



Thornback ray, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, i, p. 99, pi. xxii. 



Disk wide, being from one-third to one-fourth wider than long, front of head 

 obtuse with the snout slightly produced at its extremity. Tail of somewhat 

 varying length, but equal to about one-half of the total length. Anterior edge of 

 the disk undulated and scarcely passes beyond a line drawn from the end of the 

 snout to its rounded angle : the hind margin of the disk convex, one-fourth 

 shorter than the front edge. Eyes — rather large, their diameter being about one- 

 fourth of that of the snout, and from Ij to 1^ in the interorbital space. The 

 spiracles placed close behind the orbits, than which they are somewhat smaller. 

 Month arched, and its width equals nearly half its distance from the end of the 

 snout. Nostrils rather wide asunder, the distance between their outer borders 

 equalling about that from the end of the snout. Teelh — large, those in young males 



