from the Coast of Ireland. 



405 



Platessa microcephala. Scarce in Dublin bay. 



Rhombus megastomus. Kingstown ; not uncommon. 



Monochirus minutus. Little Sole. And also the variegated 

 Sole occur in tolerable abundance, right off Dublin bay. be- 

 tween the light-ship and the harbour. 



Ammodytes Tobianus. This fish is frequent in the sand at 

 Malahide, county Dublin, in company with the common spe- 

 cies. 



Acus anguineus. This elegant species is common in cer- 

 tain localities in Connemara. 



Raia radiata. Starry Ray. A small specimen of this Ray, 

 five inches in breadth, taken with the species mentioned be- 

 low, in Dublin bay, is remarkable for having the body almost 

 destitute of spines ; those, however, which are found on the 

 snout and anterior margin of the pectorals, preserve the pecu- 

 liar character of the species. This want of spines on the body 

 is the more remarkable, as Donovan's original specimen was 

 of even smaller size, and was abundantly supplied with spines. 

 In all other respects the specimens are identical. 



Raia intermedia. Two specimens of this rare Skate, taken in 

 Dublin bay, agreed perfectly with each other ; neither of them 

 were spotted ; besides the one large spine before the eye, it had 

 another of equal size behind the orbit, and one small blunt one 

 external, and a little anterior to the one before the eye ; upper 

 surface of the body rather brownish, lower purplish grey. 

 Those two specimens it will be found agree perfectly with 

 two fishes obtained by Dr. Parnell at Queensferry, considered 

 by him as a mere variety of his R. intermedia. Length 13 

 inches ; it varies slightly in the proportions of length to 

 breadth ; the number of spines on the tail also varies, being 

 in one of the specimens before me 15, in the other 16, to the 

 base of the anterior dorsal : Dr. Parnell's specimens had 1 8 ; 

 the two dorsals separated by a spiny tubercle. In other re- 

 spects perfectly identical. 



Raia ? I will now describe a Ray, which I cannot identify 

 with any of those described. It is a small species, seldom ex- 

 ceeding 17 or IS inches in length, and 9 or 10 in breadth. 

 It possesses the peculiar outline of the Sandy Ray of Couch ; 

 it likewise possesses the semicircle of spines on the inner 

 margin of the eye, the spines at the tip of the snout, and the 

 four short rows of spines in the middle of the back, and the 

 teeth precisely as in that species ; all the specimens I have 

 seen had one spot on each pectoral fin, as is commonly seen 

 in the Homelyn Ray ; that is, a circular spot of chocolate- 



