178 MITCH1LL ON THE FISHES OF NEW-YORK. 



Upper surface over its principal extent, beset with prickles curved 

 backWard. These prickles are most frequent on the snout, near the 

 eves, and down the back to the end of the tail ; with exceptions of a 

 space on each side of the mid-back, that is nearly bare of them, and of a 

 space down the back and tail, where there are none at all. The longest 

 and strongest prickles are on the sides of the tail. 



Lower surface smooth and white, without proper spots, but inter- 

 spersed with a few black dots, and an appearance of slender lines here and 

 ihere. Lower and hinder parts of the fins and tail ruddy. 



Mouth broad, with teeth in both jaws like those of a file. 



Tail thick and stout, with two fins on its upper side. Rays in the 

 foremost difficult to be counted ; in the hindmost amount to about nine. 

 Both of these fins rough with small prickles. Under side of the tail, as 

 well as the belly, entirely smooth, with a fringe or membrane on each 

 side of the tail below the prickles. 



Snout moderately projecting. Surface covered with a thick slime. 



3. Char-nosed Ray. (Raja diaphanes.) With semi-transparent 

 rhomboidal snout, and roughness on its middle, and on the margin of 

 the body toward the flaps. 



The individual from which the present description is taken, measured 

 two feet and three inches in length, by one foot and five inches in 

 breadth. 



Colour of the back light brown, marked irregularly with dusky, ob- 

 long, and roundish spots. 



Belly spineless and white, with black dots and vascular branches here 

 and there. A carnation or reddish tinge along the fins. 



Middle of the snout rough ; as is also the margin of the body toward 

 the wings. A small patch of acute prickles incurved backward, laterally 

 from the eye. A row of prickles reaching from the forepart of the 

 back almost to the tail. Behind the anal fins, and at the root of the 



