ENGLISH FISHES. 



423 



the masculine appendages connected with the anal 

 fins, were nearly half as long as the tail. The 

 colour uniformly cinereous-brown, except in one 

 instance, where a few black spots appeared : the 

 whole upper surface is rough like shagreen ; the 

 under part white and smooth, except the head, 

 breast and tail. 



La Cepede, appears to have described this fish 

 under the title of La Raie chagrinee ; but as I do 

 not find a figure of it in any British work, I beg 

 leave to accotnpany tliis with a correct outline, 

 taken from a male, caught on the coast of Devon^ 

 where I have examined several of both sexes, but 

 none larger than is mentioned above. Mr Pen- 

 nant says, it increases to the size of the Skate. 



The Shagreen Ray is discriminated by some of 

 the west country fishermen, and is called Dun«= 

 Cow. 



Raia oxyrinchus* 



Having had an opportunity of examining a 

 great many of the Sharp-nosed. Ray, and also of 

 the Raia Batis or Skate, two species that are fre- 

 quently confounded, and rarely distinguished by 

 the fishermen on this coast, and then only sup- 

 posed to be a sexual difference, I shall offer a few 

 observations on the leading characters. I cannot 

 help noticing, that in the late edition of Pen- 



E e2 



