RAY 
compared to their enormous bulk in other parts 
of the world. Labat tells us of a prodigious 
Ray, fpeared by the negroes at Guadaloupe, that 
was thirteen feet eight inches broad, and above 
ten feet from the fnout to the infertion of the tail. 
The tail itfelf was fifteen feet long; twenty inches 
broad at it's infertion, and tapering to a point. 
The body was two feet in depth; and the fl<in as 
thick as leather, and marked with fpots. This 
enormous fifh was deemed utterly unfit for an 
European banquet; but the negroes feledled fome 
of the niceft bits, and carefully faked them up, 
as favourite provifion. 
Large as the above may feem, it is very pro- 
bable that we have only as yet feen the fmalleft of 
the kind. As they generally keep at the bottom 
of the fea, the greateft are feldom feen ; and as it 
is polTible they may have been growing for ages, 
the extent of their magnitude is unknown. It is 
however generally fuppofed, that they are the 
largelt inhabitants of tne deep; and, were we to 
credit Bifliop Pontoppidan, there are fome above 
a whole mile over. 
The Ray-fifh generally chufe fuch parts of the 
fea for their retreats as have a black muddy bot- 
tom: the large ones keep at the greateft depths; 
but the fmaller approach the fhores, and feed on 
fuch living aniinals as they can furprife, or what- 
ever putrid fubiVances fall in their way. Being 
naturally ravenous, they eafily take the bait; but 
Ihould it be taken up, and kept a day or two out 
of the water, they will not touch it. Indeed, al- 
moft all filh appear much more delicate in their 
choice of bait than of their ordinary food. By 
their motions, they feem to perceive the line, and 
to dread it : but the impulfe of hunger is too pow- 
erful to admit of caution ; and even though they 
perceive the danger, if fharp fet, they fwallow 
their deftruftion. 
The Ray kind generate in March and April; 
at which times only they are feen fwimming near 
the furface of the water, feveral males ufually pur- 
fuing one female. In the a6l of coition they ad- 
here fo clofely together, that the filhermen fre- 
quently draw up both together, though only one 
has been hooked. The females are prolific to an 
extreme degree, no lefs than three hundred eggs 
having been extradled from the body of a fingle 
Ray : thefe eggs are covered with a tough horny 
fubftance, which they acquire in the womb; for, 
before they defcend into it, they are attached to 
the ovary pretty much in the fame manner as in 
the body of a pullet. From this ovary, or egg- 
bay, as it is vulgarly called, the eggs drop one 
by one into the womb, and there receive a (hell 
by the concretion of the organic fluids. When 
arrived at proper maturity, they are excluded, 
one or two at a time, and often at intervals of 
three or four hours. Thefe eggs are ufually firft 
caft about the beginning of May, but the breed- 
ing feafon continues the greateft part of the fum- 
mer. In 0£lober, when the whole quantity of 
eggs is excluded, the fifties become very poor 
and thin; but in November, they begin to im- 
prove, and gradually mend till May, when they 
are in the higheft perfeftion. 
Our fifliermen take this kind chiefly in the 
winter feafon ; but the indefatigable Dutch begin 
their operations earlier, and generally fifli with 
better fuccefs than the Britifti. The method 
praftifed by the fifliermen of Scarborough is ge- 
nerally rQckooed the beft among the Englifh: 
RAY 
with which, as fuccindlly related by Pennant, we 
here prefent our readers. 
When they go to fifii, each perfon is provided 
with three lines: each man's lines are fairly coiled 
upon a flat oblong piece of wicker-work; the 
hooks being baited and placed very regularly in 
the centre of the coil. Each line is kirnillied 
with two hundred and eighty hooks, at tlie dif- 
tance of fix feet two inches from each otiier. The 
hooks are faftened to lines of twifted horfe-hair, 
twenty-feven inches in length. 
* When fifhing, there are always three men in 
each coble; and confequently nine of thefe lines 
are faftened together, and uicd as one line, ex- 
tending in length near three miles, and furnifiied 
with above two thoufand five iiundred hooks. 
An anchor and a buoy are fixed at the fi/ft end 
of the line, and one more at each end of each 
man's lines; in all four anchors and four buoys 
made of leather or cork. The line is always laid 
acrofs the current. The tides of flood and ebb 
continue an equal time on our coaft; and, when* 
undifturbed by winds, run each way about fix 
hours. They are fo rapid, that the fifliermicn 
can only fhoot and haul their lines at the turn of 
the tide; and therefore the lines always remain 
on the ground about fix hours. The fame ra- 
pidity of the tide prevents their ufing hand-lines; 
and therefore two of the people commonly wrap 
thernfelvcs in the fail, and fleep while the other 
keeps a ftrid look out, for fear of being run dov/n 
by fhips, and to obferve the weather: for ftorms 
often rife fo fuddenly, that it is often with extreme 
difficulty they efcape to the fhore, though they 
leave their lines beliind them. 
* The coble is twenty feet fix inches long, and 
it's extreme breadth is five feet. It's burden is 
about one ton ; and it is rowed by three pair of 
oars, being admirably conftrufted for the purpofe 
of encountering a mountainous fea. They hoift 
fail when the wind fuits. 
' The five-men-boat is forty feet long, fifteen 
broad, and twenty-five tons burden. It is fo 
called, though navigated by fix men and a boy; 
becaufe one of the men is hired to cook, and does 
not ftiare in the profits with the other five. All 
our able fifhermen go in thefe boats to the her- 
ring-fifliery at Yarmouth the latter end of Sep- 
tember, and return about the middle of Novem- 
ber. The boats are then laid vp till the begin- 
ning of Lent, at which tim.e they go oft in them 
to the edge of the Dogger Bank, and other places, 
to fifli for turbot, cod, ling, ficates, and various 
other kinds. They always take two cobles on 
board ; and when they come on their ground, an- 
chor the boat, throw out the cobles, and fifli in 
the fame manner as thofe do who go from the 
ftiore in a coble; with this difference only, that 
here each man is provided with double the quan- 
tity of lines; and, inftead of waiting the return of 
the tide in the coble, they return to the boat, 
and bait their other lines; thus hawling one fet, 
and fliooting another, every turn of the tide. 
They commonly run into the harbour twice a 
week, to deliver their fifli. The five-men-boat 
is decked at each end, but open in the middle, 
and has two long fails. 
' The beft bait for fifh of all kinds is frefli her- 
ring cut in pieces of a proper fize; and, notwith- 
ftanding what has been faid to the contrary, they 
are taken there at any time in the winter, and all 
the fpring, whenever the fifliermen put down 
their 
