406 



Mr. M'Coy on soine rare Fish 



brown surrounded by a circle of white irregular spots, and 

 some irregular white markings in the centre, instead of the 

 numerous small white spots of the Sandy Ray ; but as colour- 

 ing is of no manner of importance in this family, I need only 

 mention that the species of which I now write appears to me 

 to differ from the Sandy Ray in having the surface of the 

 body covered with minute spines directed backwards, and by 

 the length of the tail, which measures, from the vent to the 

 tip of the tail, two-sevenths more than the length of the body 

 measured from the same point to the tip of the snout ; the 

 body being smooth in the Sandy Ray, and the tail remark- 

 ably short ; which, in addition to its rough skin, and its ha- 

 ving the characteristic outline and disposition of the spines to 

 be remarked in the Sandy Ray, will distinguish it from the 

 Homelyn. I give a description of a specimen now before me, 

 that the species may be recognized. 

 Length 16^ inches. 



Descrip. (Form.) Somewhat rhomboidal ; the greatest trans- 

 verse diameter 9 inches ; length from the vent to the tip of the 

 snout 7 inches ; body moderately thick ; snout and anterior part of 

 the pectorals the same as in the Sandy Ray ; mouth l^inch; 1-| 

 inch from the snout ; the nostrils in a line with the angles of the 

 mouth ; the distance from the angles of the mouth to the nostril 

 one-half of that from the nostril to the margin of the pectoral fin : 

 eyes large ; spiracles rather small, less than the diameter of the orbit, 

 oval, placed obliquely close behind the eye, their longest diameter 

 pointing upwards and outwards ; skin above roughened by minute 

 spines directed backwards, largest on the anterior margins of the 

 pectorals ; under surface smooth, except beneath the snout and for a 

 little way along the anterior margin of the pectorals ; a semicircle of 

 six or eight spines round the inner margin of the orbits, and a few 

 on the tip of the snout ; the four short rows of spines about, or 

 rather anterior to the middle of the back, are less distinctly marked 

 in this specimen than in others I have seen. At some distance be- 

 low these are two rows of equally large hooked spines, which are 

 continued along the tail ; there are four rows of large spines on the 

 tail, all directed backwards; but the ridge or central line of the tail 

 might be said to be comparatively unarmed, as in R. chagrinia, there 

 being only a few small blunt tubercles in the specimen before me, 

 and even these were absent in a specimen shown me by my friend 

 Captain Portlock ; all the larger spines on the body are radiated 

 at their base somewhat as in the Starry Ray, R. radiata : tail con- 

 siderably longer than the body, measuring in the specimen before 

 me 9 inches, equal to the greatest breadth of the fish, rounded 

 above, flattened beneath ; dorsals rather closer to each other than 

 the height of the first dorsal fin ; pectorals more abruptly rounded 

 off below than in the Sandy Ray. (Colour.) Upper surface of an 

 uniform light yellowish brown, darkest towards the centre ; on each 



