FISHES—RAIIDAE. 
371 
to pass through the press without any further delay, we must defer to another opportunity of 
describing this species more fully. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
No. of 
spec. 
Age. 
Locality. 
When 
collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Nature of 
specimen. 
Collected by— 
1H09 
i 
Adult. 
Bay of Monterey or Presidio, Cal... 
1853 
Lt. W. P. Trowbridge. 
Alcoholic. 
Lt. Trowbridge... 
Family TORPEDINIDAE, Owen. 
The body is rounded off, suh-orhicular, naked, else without scales, spines or prickles. The 
ventral fins are situated immediately behind the pectorals. The tail is moderately elongated, 
fleshy, depressed at the base, cylindrical towards its extremity, which is terminated by a well 
developed, triangular caudal fin. There are either one or two dorsal fins, or none at all. On 
either side of the tail a membranous ridge, more or less elongated, may he observed. The upper 
eyelid is immovable, without median process. The nasal flaps of either side coalesce into a 
quadrilateral lip, free upon its edge, leaving hut the outer angle of the nostrils uncovered, 
being at the same time united by a small frenum to the upper (anterior) lip. The teeth are 
small, acute or depressed. An electrical apparatus exists betw e en the head, the gills and the 
inner margin of the pectorals, consisting of vertical columns, the terminal surface of which 
being oftentimes observed through the skin of the hack and belly. 
Syn. — Toipedinini, Bonap. Syst. Vertebr. 1837, 44, &, Selach. Tabul. analyt. 1838, 4.— Bd. Iconogr. Encycl. II, 1850, 242. 
Torpedines, Mull. & Henle, Syst. Beschr. Plagiost. 1841, 126.— Mull, in Wiegm.A rcliiv lur Naturg. 1845,1,137.— 
Dum. Ichthyol. analyt. 1856,141. 
Toipedinidae, Owen, Lec.t. Comp. Anat. Vert. Anim. 1846, 51. 
The genera Torpedo and Narcine, which are provided with two dorsal fins, differ from one 
another by characters which may be best appreciated when respectively compared. Not in 
possession of any specimens from the western coast, it is not to be expected that we should 
enlarge upon this topic. We will simply state that the species described by Dr. Ayres belongs 
to Narcine instead of Torpedo, and consequently we record it under the name of 
NARCINE CALIFORNICA, Gird. 
Syn. —Torpedo califormca, Ayres, in Proc. Cal Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. I, 1855, 70. 
hoping at a future time to complete the history of this fish in connexion with its Atlantic 
representative described by my esteemed friend Dr. D. H. Storer, of Boston, now engaged upon 
an illustrated edition of his “History of the Fishes of Massachusetts.” 
Family RAIIDAE, Owen. 
The pectoral fins are combined with the snout, and their insertion extends as far as the 
ventrals. The body is broad, rhomboidal in general appearance; the tail is slender and 
elongated, depressed and provided on either side with a membranous keel or fold extending to its 
whole length, the two dorsal fins being situated towards its extremity; the terminal fin, or 
caudal, either exists as border to the caudal process, else is entirely wanting. The upper eyelid 
