292 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



We recently received the pleasure of a visit from Herr H. Fruhstorfer, 

 of Berlin. The last journey made by this entomological collector was to 

 the Celebes. He is now engaged in working out his Celebesian Rho- 

 palocera, and intends returning to the Malay Archipelago, towards the end 

 of next year, on another entomological expedition. 



At a meeting of the Dublin Microscopical Club, held on April 8th, 

 Mr. W. F. Sinclair sent for exhibition two specimens of shagreen. The 

 first was an example of white Asiatic shagreen, such as is used in some 

 English sword-hilts and many Eastern. It was from the skin of Trygon 

 sephen, or some closely allied species of Sting-ray. The principal sources 

 of Asiatic shagreen are the Trygons or Sting-rays, and especially T. sephen, 

 in which the tuberculated area is usually large in proportion to the total 

 surface ; and the tubercles (called in trade the " pearl "), though of various 

 sizes, are arranged so as to present a pretty regular pattern, the lesser 

 filling up the interstices of the greater. Their vertical axis, also, is usually 

 at a right angle to the long axis of the fish, which is important to the 

 sword-cutler, as the hilt covered with such shagreen gives a good " cut-and- 

 thrust grip." The Japanese, the best artists in shagreen, usually arrange 

 the two or three large spinal tubercles of this fish so as still further to 

 improve the grip. Vrogymnus asperrimus furnishes a skin used for some 

 fancy articles. The Plectognathi, especially Triacanthus and Balistes, 

 furnish a little, of small size and poor quality. Rays, amongst other 

 merits, are much easier to skin than Sharks and Dog-fish ; and on the 

 Indian coast, men who never fail to skin Trygon sephen can scarcely be 

 persuaded to do so with any other fish, unless it comes handy just when 

 they want some shagreen. The second specimen was identified by Mr. 

 Boulenger as belonging to Centrophorus granulosus, a deep-sea Dog-fish, 

 widely distributed and especially abundant about Madeira. This is used 

 for the hilts of the best English regulation swords. 



