276 SHARP-NOSED RAY. 



BosCj and is a native of the North American seas : 

 its form is somewhat obtusely rhomboidal. and its 

 upper surface is covered with very small and short 

 spines^ which are even scarce perceptible in some 

 specimens except on the middle of the back, which 

 is furnished with a range of much longer ones: this 

 range is continued down the whole length of the 

 tail, the sides of which are beset with several rows 

 of differently-sized spines. The colour of this Ray 

 is brownish above, and white beneath : it is said to 

 be not uncommon in the bay of Charles-Town. 



SHARP-NOSED RAY. 



Raja Oxyrinchus. R- cinerea, rostro subacuto pr&ductOf serie 



aciileormn dorsali caudalique simplici. 

 Cinereous Ray, with subacute produced snout, and a single 



row of spines down the back and tail. 

 Raja oxyrinchus. JR.. mrittj dorso medio tuherculis decern acuk- 



atis, Lin, Si/st. Nat. 

 Raja oxyrinchos major. Will, ichth. p. 7l» 

 Raja aculeorum ordine unico in dorso caudaque. Block, t. 80. 

 Sharp-Nosed Ray, Penn. Brit, Zool. 



Similar in shape to the Skate, but with a longer 

 and sharper snout, not ill resembling the shape of 

 a spontoon: colour of the whole upper part cinere- 

 ous, with several pale, or whitish spots intermixed 

 with a few slight dusky streaks or variegations : 

 beneath white, with dusky or blueish streaks : down 

 the back and tail runs a single row of spines, and a 

 few others are placed about the region of the eyes : 

 the sides of the tail are also sometimes furnished 



