r a r 
dissecting a torpedo in a pregnant state, and 
which contained in its ovarium several round- 
ish eggs ot different sizes, and also two per- 
fectly formed foetuses, which, when tried in 
the usual manner, communicated a very sen- 
sible electric shock, this was still more 
perceptible when the little animals were in- 
sulated by being placed on a plate of glass. 
I he electricity of the torpedo is altogether 
voluntary, and sometimes, if the animal is 
not irritated, it may be touched or even han- 
dled without being provoked to exert its elec- 
tric inti uence. 
9. Raja rhinobatos, of a lengthened shape. 
This remarkable species seems from its habit 
to connect in some degree the genera of raja 
and squalus, the body being much longer 
than in the preceding kinds ot ray: the snout 
is lengthened, but not very sharp ; and the 
body, which is moderately convex above, 
and Hat beneath, gradually tapers from the 
shoulders to the tail, which is furnished above 
with two fins, of an oblong shape, and situ- 
ated at a considerable distance from eacli 
other; the tip of the tail is also dilated into 
an oblong fin. The colour of the whole ani- 
mal is a dull earthy-brown, paler beneath, 
and the skin is every where roughened by 
minute tubercles. This fish is said to grow 
to the length of about four feet, and is a na- 
tive of the European seas. It is observed to 
be more frequent about the coasts of Naples 
than elsewhere. 
RAJANIA, a genus of the hexandria or- 
der, in the dioecia class of plants, and in the 
natural method ranking under the 1 1th order, 
sarmentacese. The male calyx is sexpartite ; 
there is no corolla. The female calyx as in 
the male, without any corolla ; there are 
three styles ; the fruit is roundish, with an 
ob.ique wing, inferior. There are seven spe- 
cies, climbing plants of the West Indies. 
RAIL, in ornithology. See Rallus. 
RAIN. See Meteorology. 
RAINBOW. See Optics. 
RAISING-PIECES, in architecture, are 
pieces that lie under the beams, and over the 
posts or puncheons. 
RAISINS, grapes prepared by suffering 
them to remain on the vine till they are per- 
fectly ripe, and then drying them in the sun, 
or by the heat of an oven. The difference 
between raisins dried in the sun, and those 
dried in ovens, is very obvious: the former 
are sweet and pleasant ; but the latter have a 
latent acidity with the sweetness, that renders 
them much less agreeable. 
The common way of drying grapes for rah 
sins is, to tie two or three bunches of them 
together while yet on the vine, and dip them 
into a hot lixivium of wood-ashes with a little 
of the oil of olives in it. This disposes them 
to shrink and wrinkle ; and after this they are 
left on the vine three or four days separated 
on sticks in an horizontal situation, and then 
dried in Hie sun at leisure, after being cut 
from the tree. The finest and best raisins 
are those called in some places Damascus 
and Jube raisins ; which are distinguished 
from the others by their size and iiaures: 
these are flat and wrinkled on the surface, 
soft and juicy \yithin, and near an inch long ; 
and wln-ii fresh and growing on the bunch, 
are of the size and shape of a large olive. 
The raisins of th t sun, and jar-raisins, are 
all dried by the heat of die sun; and these 
giro the sorts used in medicine. 
You. II. 
R A L 
R AK E of a ship, is all that part of her hull 
which hangs over both ends of her keel. r ] hat 
which is before is called the fore-rake, or 
rake-forward; and that part which is at the 
setting on of the stern-post, is called the rake- 
aft or afterward. 
RALLUS, the rail, in ornithology, a ge- 
nus belonging to the order of graliae. The 
beak is thickest at the base, compressed, 
equal, acute, and somewhat sharp on the 
back near the point; the nostrils are oval ; 
the feet have four toes, without any web; and 
the body is compressed. Mr. Latham, in his 
Index Ornithologicus, enumerates 24 species, 
besides some varieties. They are chiefly 
distinguished by their colour. “ These birds 
(says Buffon) constitute a large family, and 
their habits are different from those of the 
other shore-birds, which reside on sands and 
gravel. The rails, on the contrary, inhabit 
only the slimy margins of pools and rivers, 
especially low grounds covered with flags 
and other large marsh-plants. This mode of 
living is habitual, and common to all the spe- 
cies ot water-rails. The land-rail frequents 
meadows ; and from the disagreeable erv, or 
rather rattling in the throat, of this bird, is 
derived the generic name. In all the rails, 
the body is slender, and shrunk at the sides ; 
the tail extremely short ; the head small ; 
the bill like that of the gallinaceous kind, 
though much longer, and not so thick ; a 
portion of the leg above the knee is bare; 
the three fore-toes without membranes, and 
very long; they do not, like other birds, draw 
their feet under their belly in flying, but allow 
them to hang down; their wings are small, 
and very concave, and their flight is short. 
They seem to be more diffused than varied ; 
and nature has produced or transported them 
over the most distant lands. Captain Cook 
found them at the Straits of Magellan, in dif- 
ferent islands of the southern hemisphere, at 
Anamoka, at Tanna, and at the isle of Nor- 
folk. In the Society Islands there are two 
species of rails; a little black-spotted one 
(pooanee), and a little red-eyed one (moi- 
ho). It appears that the two 'acolins of Fer- 
nandez, which he denominates water-quails, 
are of a species of rails peculiar to the great 
lake ot Mexico. The coiins, which might 
be confounded with these, are a kind of par- 
tridges.” The principal species are, 
1. The aquaticus, or water-rail, a bird of a 
long slender body, with short concave wings. 
It delights less in flying than running, which 
it does very swiftly along the edges of brooks 
covered with bushes ; as it runs, it every now 
and then flirts up its tail, and in flying hangs 
down its legs, actions it has in common with 
the water-hen. Its weight is four ounces and 
a half. The length to the end of the tail is 
12 inches ; the breadth 16. The bill is slender, 
slightly incurvated, an inch and three quar- 
ters long ; the head, hind part of the neck, 
the back, and coverts of the wings and tail, 
are black, edged with olive-brown ; the 
throat, breast, and upper part of the belly, 
are ash-coloured ; the sides under the wings 
as far as the rump, finely varied with black 
and white bars. The tail is very short, and 
consists of twelve black feathers. “ Water- 
rails (says Buffon) are seen near the peren- 
nial fountains during the greatest part of the 
winter, yet like the land-rails they have their 
regular migrations. They pass Malta in the 
spring and autumn, The visqouut de Quer- 
Tx A L -AM 5 
hoent saw .some lifty leagues off the coasts of 
Portugal on the 17th of April. They were 
so fatigued, that they buffered themselves to 
be caught by the hand. Gnielin found these 
birds in the countries watered by the Don. 
Belon calls them black rails, and says they 
are every where known, and that the species 
is more numerous than the red rail or land- 
rail. The fiesh of the water-rail is not so de- 
licate as that of the land-rail, and has even a 
marshy taste, nearly like that of the gallinule. 
It continues the whole year in England.” 
2. The porzana, or gallinule, is not very- 
frequent in Great Britain, and is said to be 
migratory. It inhabits the sides of small 
streams, concealing itself among the bushes. 
Us length is nine inches ; its breadth litteen ; 
it weighs four ounces five drachms. The 
head is brown, spotted with black ; the neck 
a deep olive, spotted with white ; the fea- 
thers of the back are black next their shafts, 
then olive-coloured, and edged with white ; 
the scapulars are olive, finely marked with 
two small white spots on each web ; the legs 
of a yellowish green. “ Its habits (says Buf- 
fon) wild, its instinct stupid, the porzana is 
unsusceptible of education, nor is even ca- 
pable of being tamed. We raised one, how- 
ever, which lived a whole summer on crumbs 
of bread and hemp-seed: when by itself, it 
kept constantly in a large bowl of water ; 
but if a person entered the closet where it 
was shut, it ran to conceal itself in a small 
dark corner, without venting cries or mur- 
murs. In the state of liberty', however, it 
has a sharp piercing voice, much like the 
scream of a young bird of prey; and though 
it has no propensity to society-, as soon as 
one cries, another repeats the sound, which 
is thus conveyed through all the rest in the 
district. Like all the rails, it is so obstinate- 
ly averse to rise, that the sportsman often 
seizes it with his hand, or fells it with a stick. 
If it finds a bush in its retreat, it climbs upon 
it, and from the top of its asylum beholds the 
dogs brushing along in fault: this habit is 
common to it and to the water-rail. Il'dives, 
swims, and even swims under water, when 
hard pushed.” 
3. 1 he crex, crake, or corn-crek, has been 
supposed by some to be the same with the 
water-rail, and that it differs only by a change 
of colour at a certain season of the year: this 
error is owing to inattention to their charac- 
ters and nature, both which differ entirely. 
The bill of this species is short, strong, and 
thick, formed exactly like that of the water- 
hen, and makes a generical distinction. It 
never frequents watery places; but is always 
found among corn, grass, broom, or furze. It 
quits the kingdom before winter; but the 
water-rail endures our sharpest seasons. 
They agree in their aversion to flight; and 
the legs, which are remarkably long for the 
size of the bird, hang down whilst they are 
on the wing: they trust their safety to their 
swiftness on foot, and seldom are sprung a 
second time but with great difficulty. The 
land-rail lays from uvelve to twenty eggs, of 
a dull white colour, marked with a few yel- 
low spots: notwithstanding this they are very 
numerous in this kingdom. Their note it 
very singular ; and, like the quail, it is de- 
coyed into a net by the imitation of its erv, 
crek crek crek, by rubbing hard the biade of 
a knife on an indented bone. Most of the 
names given in different languages' to 'this- 
