154 
-NATURAL HISTORY. 
It is by the spines that these animals are distinguished 
from each other. The skate lias the middle of the back 
rough, and a single row of spines on the tail. The sharj. 
nosed ray has ten spines that are situated towards the mid- 
dle of the back. The rough ray has its spines spread in 
discriminalely over the whole back. 1 he thorn bach hat 
its spines disposed in three rows upon the back. The sting 
rau or fire-flare has but one spine, but indeed a terrible 
one! This dangerous weapon h placed on the tail, about 
four inches from the body, and is not less than fi\e inches 
long. It is of a flinty hardness, the sides thin, sharp 
pointed, and closely and sharply bearded the whole way. 
The torpedo lias no spines that can wound ; but in the 
place of them it is possessed of one of the most potent and 
extraordinary faculties in nature. 
Of all the larger fish of the sea, these are the most nume- 
rous; and they owe their numbers to their size. Except the 
white shark and chuchalot alone, there is no other fish that 
lias a swallow large enough to take them in ; and their 
spines make them a still more dangerous morsel. Yet the 
size of some is such, that even the shark himself is unable 
to devour them : we have seen some of them in England 
weiirh above two hundred pounds ; but that is nothing to 
their enormous bulk in other parts of the world. Labat 
tells us of a prodigious ray that was speared by the negroes 
at Guadaloupe, which was thirteen, feet eight inches broad, 
and about ten feet from the snout to the insertion of the 
tail. The tail itself was in proportion, for it was no less 
than fifteen feet long : twenty inches broad at its insertion, 
and tapering to a point. The body was two feet in depth ; 
the skin as thick as leather, and marked with spots, which 
spots, in all of this kind, are only glands, that supply a 
mucus to lubricate and soften the skin. This enormous 
fish was utterly unfit to be eaten by the Europeans ; but 
the negroes chose out some of the nicest bits, and carefully 
salted them up as a most favourite provision. 
It is chiefly during the winter season that our fishermen 
fish for the ray; but the Dutch, who are indefatigable, 
begin their operations earlier, and fish with better success 
than we do. The method practised by the fishermen of 
Scarborough is thought to be the best among the English ; 
and, as Mr. Pennant 1ms given a very succcint account ot it, 
we shall present it to the reader. 
« When they go out to fish, each person is provided with 
three lines: each man’s lines are fairly coiled upon a fiat 
