5H 
of the-skin is a brownish grey, with irregular 
blackish or dusky variegations; the under 
part is white* with a slight cast of flesh-colour; 
and about the middle or the body, as well as 
on the fins, are disposed several spines, simi- 
lar to those on the upper side, but less 
strong: the cartilage dividing the upper and 
lower portions of the body, is in this species 
remarkably conspicuous; but since a similar 
appearance exists in several other species, it 
cannot be of much importance in the specific 
character. 
The thornback is an inhabitant of the Me- 
diterranean and other seas, and is in some 
esteem as a food, though not equal to the 
skate in goodness, 
3. Raja chagrinea, shagreen ray. Body 
less broad in proportion than in most others’ 
of this division; snout long and pointed, 
and furnished with two rows of spines; se- 
veral others are placed in a semicircle to- 
wards the eyes, of which the iris is sapphire- 
coloured; both sides of the tail are armed 
with numerous smaller ones; the whole up- 
per surface of the animal is roughened by 
numerous small granules like those on the skin 
of some of the shark-tribe, and particularly of 
the great dog-shark, of the skin of which is 
prepared the substance known by the name 
of shagreen colour above cinereous brown, 
beneath white. Native of the European 
seas. 
4. Raja pastinaca, sting ray, with slender 
tail, generally armed with a spine. Shape 
subrhomboidal, but somewhat approaching 
to ovate, the pectoral tins being less pointed 
•than in some of this division ; snout pointed ; 
body more convex than in the preceding 
rays; colour of the whole animal above yel- 
low isb-olive, with the back darkest, and ap- 
proaching, in some specimens, to a blueish 
brown; beneath whitish; tail without fin, of 
considerable length, very thick at the base, 
and gradually tapering to the extremity, 
which is verv slender ; near the middle it is 
armed, on the upper part, with a very long, 
flattened, and very sharp-pointed bone or 
spine, finely serrated in a reversed direction 
on both sides; with this the animal is capable 
of inflicting very severe wounds on such as 
incautiously attempt to handle it ; and it an- 
swers the purpose both of an offensive and 
defensive weapon: it is annually cast, and as 
it frequently happens that the new spine lias 
arrived at a considerable .size before the old 
one has been cast, the animal is occasionally 
found with two, in which state it lias been 
sometimes erroneously considered as a di- 
stinct species. This fish is said not to grow 
to so large a size as many others of the genus: 
it is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean, At- 
lantic, and Indian seas, and is numbered 
among the edible rays. On account of the 
danger attending the wounds inflicted by the 
spine, it is usual with the fishermen to cut off 
the tail as soon as the fish is taken ; and it is 
said to be illegal in France, and some other 
countries, to sell the animal with the tail still 
adhering. It is .hardly necessary to observe, 
that the spine is perfectly void of any venom- 
ous quality, though formerly supposed to 
contain a most active poison; and that the 
effects sometimes produced by it are entirely 
those arising from deep puncture and lacera- 
tion, which, if taking place in a tendinous 
part, or among the larger nerves and blood- 
vessels, have often proved fatal. 
BAJA. 
The general habits of the animal are simi- 
lar to those of the rest of the genus, often 
lying flat and in ambuscade on the suit mud 
at the bottom of the shores which it frequents, 
and seizing its prey by surprise, and at other 
times pursuing it through the depths ot Rie 
ocean. 
5. Raja aquila, eagle ray. This species 
grows to a very great size, sometimes mea- 
suring ten, twelve, or even fifteen feet in 
length. 
6. Raja sephen, pearled ray. Shape sub- 
rhomboid ; the upper part of the body, mea- 
sured from the tips of the pectoral fins, which 
are obtuse, forming a half-rhomb ; the lower 
part, from the tips of the pectoral fins to the 
tail, forming a half-circle ; snout small and 
slightly pointed ; ventral fins rather small and 
rounded ; tail more than twice the length of 
the body, gradually tapering to a fine point, 
furnished beneath the middle part with a 
shallow fin running to a considerable distance, 
and above with a strong and sharp spine, as 
in the sting ray and many others, and some- 
times two spines are found instead of one ; 
back, from between the eyes to some dis- 
tance beyond the base of the tail, covered 
with pretty close-set tubercles or granules, 
three of which, in the middle of the back, 
are far larger than the rest, and resemble , 
three pearls disposed in a longitudinal direc- 
tion on that part : colour of the whole animal 
deep cinereous-brown above, and reddish white 
beneath: grows to a large size, sometimes 
measuring eleven feet from the snout to the 
end of the tail. Native of the Red Sea. 
It is from the skin of this species, accord- 
ing to Cepede, that the beautiful substance 
called galuchat by the French is prepared ; 
and which being coloured with blue, green, 
or red, according to the fancy of the artist, 
and afterwards polished, is so frequently used 
for various kinds of cases, telescope-tubes, 
Ac. For this purpose the smaller or younger 
specimens are preferred ; the tubercles m the 
more advanced or full-grown animals being 
too large for the uses above-mentioned. 
7. Raja diabolus, demon ray, with bilobate 
front. This highly singular animal, in point 
of general shape, is allied to the eagle ray, 
but with a much greater extent of pectoral 
tins, appearing extremely broad in propor- 
tion to its length ; the head, which is ot mo- 
derate size, is straight or rectilinear in front, 
each side projecting into a vertically flattened 
and slightly pointed lobe or wattle, of nearly 
two feet iii length, and giving somewhat the 
appearance of a pair of horns ; the pectoral 
fins are of a subtriangular figure, curving 
downwards on each side, and terminating in 
a point ; the back is very slightly elevated 
into a somewhat pyramidal form ; and at its 
lower part is situated the dorsal tin, which is 
of a lengthened shape, and inclines back- 
wards. This species is an inhabitant of the 
Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Indian seas. It 
is said to be chiefly observed about the 
Azores, where it is known .by the name of 
mobular. 
8. Raja torpedo, of a rounded shape. The 
torpedo has been celebrated both by antients 
and moderns for its wonderful faculty ot 
causing a sudden numbness or painful sensa- 
tion in the limbs of those who touch or handle 
it. This power the antients, unacquainted 
with the theory of electricity, were contented 
to admire, without attempting to explain ; 
■and, as is usual in similar eases, magnified it 
into an effect iiltle short of what is commonly 
ascribed to enchantment. Thus we are told 
by Oppian, that the torpedo, conscious of his 
latent faculty, when caught by a hook, exerts 
it in such a manner, that, passing along the 
line and rod, it benumbs the astonished fish- 
erman, and suddenly reduces him to a state 
of helpless stupefaction, bee Electricity, 
and Galvanism. 
The body of the torpedo is of a somewhat 
circular form, perfectly smooth, slightly con- 
vex above, and marked along each side of 
the spine by several small pores or foramina ; 
the colour of the upper surface is usually a 
pale reddish-brown, sometimes marked by 
live large, equidistant, circular, dusky spots 
with paler centres; the coder surface is whi- 
tish, or flesh-coloured. The torpedo, how- 
ever, is observed to vary considerably in the 
cast and intensity of its colours. The gene- 
ral length of The torpedo seems to be about 
eighteen inches or two feet, but it is occa- 
sionally found of far larger dimensions; spe- 
cimens having been taken on oyr own coasts 
of the weight of fifty, sixty, and even eighty 
pounds. 
The torpedo is an inhabitant of most seas, 
but seems to arrive at a larger size in the 
Mediterranean than elsewhere. It is gene- 
rally taken with the trawl, but has been 
sometimes known to take a bait. It com- 
monly lies in water of about forty fathoms 
depth, in company with others of this genus. 
It preys on smaller fish, and according to 
Mr. Pennant, a surmullet and a plaise have 
been found in the stomach of two of them : 
the surmullet, as Mr. Pennant well observes, 
is a fish of that swiftness, that it would be im- 
possible for the torpedo to take it by pursuit ; 
we must therefore suppose that it stupefies 
its prey by exerting its electric faculty. The 
torpedo often inhabits sandy places, burying 
itself superficially, bv flinging the sand over 
it, by a quick flapping of all the extremities'. 
It is in this situation that it gives its most for- 
cible shock, which is said to throw down the 
astonished passenger that inadvertently treads 
on the animal. 
The torpedo, with respect to its general 
anatomy, does not materially differ from the 
rest of the ray tribe, except in its electric or 
galvanic organs. 
It appears that the electric organs of the 
torpedo constitute a pair of galvanic batte- 
ries, disposed in the form of perpendicular 
hexagonal columns. In the gymnotus elec- 
tricus, on the contrary, the galvanic battery 
is disposed lengthwise on the lower part of 
the animal. 
Spallanzani informs us, that some few mi- 
nutes before the torpedo expires, the shocks 
which it communicates, instead of being given 
at distant intervals, take place in quick suc- 
cession, like the pulsations of the heart: they 
are weak, indeed, but perfectly perceptible 
to the hand when laid on the fish at this junc- 
ture, and resemble very small electric shocks. 
In the space of seven minutes, no less than 
360 of these small shocks were perceived. 
Spallanzani also assures us of another highly 
curious fact, which he had occasion to verity 
from his own experience, viz. that the youn<* 
torpedo can not only exercise its electric 
faculty as soon as born, but even while it is 
yet a foetus in the body of the parent animal. 
'Fliis fact was ascertained by Spallanzani on 
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