THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 694.— April, 1899. 



ZOOLOGICAL NOTES FROM NATAL. 



By Alfred D. Millar. 



(Plate I.) 



A Monstrous Ray or Devil-fish. — In April, 1898, a crowd 

 was seen on the sea-shore at Durban, drawn together by the inter- 

 esting object represented in the accompanying Plate (I.), a 

 reproduction of a photograph taken by Mr. Burn, of the Natal 

 Drug Company. Some Indians were fishing with their net on 

 the sea-coast when they discovered that something unusually 

 large had come within their grasp, whereupon these men, with 

 great excitement, quickly drew the net shorewards, and, as the 

 waves receded, an enormous Eagle Ray, with its single young, 

 was disclosed to view. The captors smartly fastened ropes to 

 their prize, and anchored it to the shore, gradually drawing it 

 out of the water, but with considerable difficulty. 



The measurements taken of this fish were 14 ft. 6 in. across 

 the disc, 6 ft. from head to root of tail, and with a tail 6 ft. in 

 length. In order to turn this enormous creature to be photo- 

 graphed on its reverse side, no fewer than twenty natives were 

 required, thus giving some idea as to its weight, which was 

 roughly estimated at about 15 cwt. 



Although several of these monsters have been observed dis- 

 porting themselves about Durban, this is, I believe, the largest, if 

 not the only specimen of its kind that has been landed on our 

 shores, and it is now preserved and contained in the Durban 

 Museum. 

 Zool. 4th ser. vol. III., April, 1899. l 



