382 REPORT GF THE 



southward, and is rather common on the California coast, especially from San 

 Francisco to Monterey. An example weighing 35 or 40 pounds was taken in a trap 

 on Martha's Vineyard, September i, 1873. It has not since been recorded from 

 the region. 



The Shark Ray is found only in the bays along the south coast of Long Island. 

 It appears occasionally in Gravesend Bay in summer. 



Order BATOIDEI. The Rays. 



Suborder SARCURA. Thick-tailed Rays. 



Family RAJIDiE. The Skates. 



Skates were rather common in Great South Bay. They were often found 

 feeding in shallow waters near the shores, especially in the evening and night. A 

 large male was taken by the hands on the night of October 17, 1898, in a small 

 dug-out creek emptying into Clam Pond Cove. It was at the edge of the shore 

 and partly out of the water, having followed the channel to the head of the creek 

 and then failed to discover a way out. 



20. Common Skate [Raja erinacca Mitchill). 



The Common Skate, also known as the Little Skate, Prickly Skate, and Tobacco 

 Box, was first described by Mitchill from a New York specimen. Mitchill called it 

 the Hedgehog Ray. His description was made from a specimen taken off the coast 

 of New Jersey in seven fathoms of water. 



This skate reaches a length of nearly 2 feet. The females are larger than the 

 males. It is very common on our coast from Maine to Virginia. Ayres stated that 

 it was frequently taken in nets during the summer in Old Man's Harbor. It has 

 been received from Gravesend Bay in November and its eggs have been obtained 

 from that bay in March. In captivity this skate has deposited its eggs during the 

 winter. The Prickly Skate was caught in small numbers at Southampton August 3, 

 1898. 



In allusion to its habit of rolling itself up when caught, fishermen at Woods 

 Hole call it the " Bonnet Skate" according to Dr. Smith. 



21. Big Skate [Raja ocellata Mitchill). 



The Big Skate was first described by Mitchill, who had a specimen 30 inches long 

 and 19 inches wide. He mentions a whitish mark on the posterior part of the flap 

 on each side resembling a butterfly's wing. DeKay calls this species the Spotted 

 Ray. He found the stomach of one filled with rock crabs. 



