ENGLISH FISn±.S. 



427 



which more or less appears to attend it through 

 all stages of life and season. It is the only truly 

 spotted Ray hitherto discovered as British ; and 

 though in shape it approaches R. clavata, its 

 smooth skin and numerous distant round dark spots 

 at once mark its distinction. In fact, it is amongst 

 the few of this tribe that bears such undeniable 

 specific characters. 



Donovan says, that Linnaeus was either un- 

 acquainted with this fish, or perhaps mistook it, as 

 Bloch observes, for a variety of the Thornback. 

 How such a mistake could happen to any well- 

 informed naturalist, I cannot conceive, since the 

 cinereous rough skin of the Thornback, waved 

 and mottled with paler lines, and occasionally a 

 few irregular black spots, is so essentially different 

 from the smooth brown skin of this species, in- 

 variably spotted like the greater spotted Shark, 

 but the markings more distant. This fish, says 

 Mr Donovan, is known on the coasts of Pem- 

 brokeshire, by the name of Land Ray. By the 

 same name, it is also known on the western coast, 

 particularly that of Devonshire, where it is equal- 

 ly plentiful with the Thornback. The figure 

 given in the British Fishes, being a female, the 

 pectoral hooks are of course wanting. 



As to the Miraletus of Linn^us being a dis- 

 tinct species, it has long been doubted, since more 

 than one species have been observed to occasion- 

 ally possess an ocellated spot on the wing. Mv 



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