﻿276 
  

  

  THE 
  VE 
  ETEBE 
  ATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  Raia 
  oxyrhynchus, 
  Linn. 
  " 
  Long-nosed 
  Skate 
  " 
  

   " 
  Lang-nosed 
  Dinnan." 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  Shagreen 
  Bay 
  of 
  Yarrell, 
  1st 
  edition, 
  vol. 
  ii., 
  

   p. 
  414 
  ; 
  the 
  Raia 
  intermedia 
  of 
  Parnell 
  ; 
  the 
  Sharp-nosed 
  Skate 
  

   of 
  Edward 
  ; 
  the 
  Long-nosed 
  Skate 
  of 
  Couch, 
  vol. 
  i., 
  p. 
  93 
  ; 
  

   and 
  the 
  Long-nosed 
  Skate, 
  Baja 
  vomer, 
  of 
  Harvie-Brown 
  and 
  

   Buckley. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  abundant 
  species 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  coast, 
  

   until 
  Caithness 
  is 
  reached. 
  

  

  Raia 
  clavata, 
  Linn. 
  " 
  Thorny." 
  "Thornback." 
  

  

  Neill, 
  in 
  the 
  Wem. 
  Memoirs, 
  vol. 
  i., 
  p. 
  554, 
  mentions 
  a 
  form 
  

   he 
  obtained 
  that 
  had 
  a 
  " 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  back." 
  

   A 
  similar 
  one 
  had 
  been 
  described 
  by 
  Lacepede, 
  and 
  named 
  by 
  

   him 
  B. 
  cuvieri, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  understood 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  monstrosity 
  

   of 
  Clavata. 
  

  

  Abundant 
  along 
  our 
  whole 
  coast 
  line. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  

   subject 
  to 
  great 
  variation 
  in 
  colour. 
  As 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  food, 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  held 
  in 
  great 
  esteem. 
  

  

  Raia 
  maculata, 
  Montagu. 
  Spotted 
  Ray, 
  Couch. 
  

  

  " 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  rarest 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  Firth 
  of 
  

   Forth." 
  (Parnell.) 
  Dr. 
  Day, 
  in 
  vol. 
  ii., 
  p. 
  346 
  of 
  his 
  History 
  

   of 
  British 
  Fishes, 
  quotes 
  Edward 
  as 
  saying 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  

   is 
  " 
  occasionally 
  met 
  with 
  " 
  at 
  Banff. 
  He 
  also 
  quotes 
  from 
  a 
  

   list 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  writer 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  effect, 
  but 
  the 
  Maculata 
  

   referred 
  to 
  in 
  both 
  cases 
  is 
  the 
  Homelyn 
  Bay, 
  as 
  given 
  by 
  

   Yarrell 
  in 
  his 
  1st 
  edition 
  of 
  the 
  History 
  of 
  British 
  Fishes 
  

   (see 
  vol. 
  ii., 
  p. 
  429), 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  species 
  under 
  consideration. 
  

  

  The 
  Spotted 
  Ray, 
  although 
  not 
  abundant, 
  cannot 
  be 
  called 
  

   rare 
  ; 
  frequently 
  a 
  dozen 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  of 
  a 
  morning 
  in 
  Aberdeen 
  

   Market. 
  Although 
  this 
  is 
  so, 
  I 
  searched 
  in 
  vain 
  for 
  several 
  

   years 
  before 
  I 
  succeeded 
  in 
  finding 
  females 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   with 
  eggs 
  ready 
  for 
  expulsion. 
  However, 
  on 
  the 
  11th 
  of 
  May, 
  

   1892, 
  I 
  found 
  one 
  female 
  with 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  desired 
  condition, 
  

   i.e., 
  with 
  the 
  horny 
  capsules 
  (purses) 
  fully 
  formed 
  and 
  situated 
  

   near 
  the 
  ventral 
  opening, 
  while 
  in 
  a 
  second 
  these 
  purses 
  were 
  

   only 
  half 
  grown. 
  

  

  