OF FISHES. 
227 
SKATE. 
The Skate, wliioli is much in request for 
the table, frequently grows to a very large 
size. It is considered to be a species of the 
j>iy fish. It has a broad and Hat body \ its 
back is of a brown colqur, and its belly 
white; the head, being comprehended in the 
whole of the shoulder, is scarcely perceptible • 
it has sharp-pointed teeth, and there is a 
Single row of spines on its tail. There are 
ol her species of Skate, called tliornbacks 
which liuve large thorns about the back, 
they subsist on lobsters, crabs, and various 
Kinds of fish. They generally swim near the 
Dottom of tho water, and avoid parts that are 
rocky About the month of May the female 
‘ "'ps her eggs, singly, and continues until 
tney amount to upwards of two hundred. 
