﻿42 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



[July, 1856. 



the dorsal fin with a short serrated spine, near which is an indentation, proba- 

 bly the seat of a former spine, which has disappeared." " Colour, — above 

 blackish, a little tinged with reddish, somewhat clouded. Beneath white, 

 dusky on the posterior margin, with many darker spots, irregular in form 

 and disposition; the largest of which are on the abdomen, and the smaller 

 on the margin and middle of the fins." A female foetus of the preceeding 

 has the same form, and the lanceolate spine of the tail preceeded by a slight 

 depression for the replacing spine." 



We are inclined to think the above described/emaZe and fcetus are the same 

 alluded to by Mitchell, and that Lesueur is mistaken as to dates, though it 

 may possibly be a typographical error, making it in Mitchell's description 

 1823 instead of 1822. 



Dr. DeKay, in his New York Zoological Report, 1842, retains Mitchell's 

 name for this animal, " Cephaloptera Vampyrus but his description and 

 figure differ not only from Mitchell's but also from Lesueur's, and he says 

 the latter described from the same specimen that the former examined, 

 though we can find nothing in Mitchell's paper, nor in Lesueur's to warrant 

 such an assertion. That they were captured at the same time and place, we 

 have not the slightest doubt, and from the descriptions and figures which 

 they have published, they certainly must be distinct species. 



As regards DeKay's description, abounding in the grossest errors, we can- 

 not, in justice to himself, believe he ever saw a Devil-fish, alive or dead ; it 

 is only an attempt to reconcile the descriptions of Mitchell and Lesueur. 

 We make a few short extracts. He says — " mouth subterminal with very 

 small teeth in seven or eight rows in the lower jaw, distant and in quincunx ; 

 those of the upper jaw scareely visible. Colour. — Blue-black above ; dus- 

 ky, varied with large opaque white clouds beneath. Dorsal fin small, trian- 

 gular, with thirty-six rays, and placed over the base of the tail between the 

 ventrals ; a short serrated spine just anterior to it " 



Mr. Elliott, in his Incidents of Devil-fishing, to which we have already re- 

 ferred, alludes, to De Kay's description of the Northern fish and points to 

 the characters which distinguish it from the Carolina fish. 



He says "the length of tail is to that of the body as six to ten; and I have 

 observed in all the specimens examined there was not one which was armed 

 with a spine serrated or otherwise. The socket or groove where such a 

 formidable weapon may have been placed, was found it is true in all ; but 

 the spine in none. It was placed below the dorsal fin and just where the 

 spine is usually found in the sting-ray (Pasternaca ?) but I do not believe it 

 is ever found in this fish, in which opinion I am confirmed by remarking, that 

 the young Devil-fish to be seen at Vanucchi's exhibition room in Charleston 

 is without a spine." 



The Colour, — "Blue-black above; White varied with dusky opake clouds 



