mer as a cupping glass sticks to the human body. It is by such an apparatus that this animal sticks to the Shark, and drains away its moisture. The seamen, however, are of opinion, that it is seen to attend on the Shark for more friendly purposes, to point him to his prey, and to apprize him of his danger. For this reason, it has been called the Shark's Pilot.

Upon the whole, a Shark, when living, is a a very formidable animal; and, when dead, is of very little value. The flesh is hardly digestible by any but the Negroes, who are exceedingly fond of it; the liver affords three or four quarts of oil; some imaginary virtues in medicine have been ascribed to the brain; and its skin is, by great labour polished into that substance called shagreen. Mr. Pennant is of opinion, that the female is larger than, the male in all this tribe; which would, if confirmed by experience, make a striking agreement between them and birds of prey,

THE RAY.

THE same rapacity which impels the Shark along the surface of the water, actuates the flat fish at the bottom. Less active and less formidable they creep in security along the bottom, and seize every thing that comes in their way; neither the hardest shells nor the sharpest spines give protection to the animals that bear them; their insatiable hunger is such, that they devour all, and the force of their stomach is so great, that it easily digests them.

All fish of the Ray kind are broad, cartilaginous, swimming flat on the water, and having spines on different parts of their body, or at the tail. They all have their eyes and mouth placed quite under the body, with holes for breathing either about or near them. They all have teeth, or a rough bone, which answers the same purpose. Their bowels are very wide towards the mouth, and go on diminishing to the tail. The tail is very differently shaped from that of other fishes; and at first sight more resembling that of a quadruped, being narrow, and ending either in a bunch or a point. But what they are chiefly distinguished by, is their spines or prickles, which the different species have on different parts of their body. Some are armed with spines both above and below; others have them on the upper part only;

some have their spines in the tail; some have three rows of them, and others but one. These prickles in some are comparatively soft and feeble; those of others strong and piercing. The smallest of these spines are usually inclining towards the tail; the larger towards the head.

Of all the larger fish of the sea, these are the most numerous; and they owe their numbers to their size. Except the White Shark and Cachalot alone, there is no other fish that has a swallow large enough to take them in ; and their spines make them still a more dangerous morsel. Yet the size of sume is such, that even the Shark himself is unable to devour them; some of them in England have been known to weigh above two hundred pounds; but that is nothing to their enormous bulk in other parts of the world. Labat tells of a prodigious Ray that was speared by the Negroes at Gaudaloupe, which was thirteen feet eight inches broad, and above 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 make smooth and soften the skin. This enormous fish was utterly unfit to be eaten by theEuropeans; but the Negroes chose out some of

the nicest bits, and carefully salted them up as a most favourite provision.

Yet, large as this may seem, it is very probable that we have seen only the smallest of the kind; as they generally keep at the bottom, the largest are seldom seen; and, as they may probably have been growing for many years, the extent of their magnitude is unknown.

It is

generally supposed, however, that they are the largest inhabitants of the deep; and were we to credit the reports of some fabulous authors, there are some above a mile over. To suppose an animal of such magnitude is absurd; yet even the exaggeration does not destroy the probability that animals of this tribe grow to an enormous size.

The Ray generally chuses for its retreat, such parts of the sea as have a black muddy bottom; the large ones keep at greater depths; but the smaller approach the shores, and feed upon whatever living animals they can surprise, or whatever putrid substances they meet with. As they are ravenous, they easily take the bait, yet will not touch it, if it be taken up and kept a day or two out of water. Almost all fish appear much more delicate with regard to a baited hook than their ordinary food. They appear by their manner to perceive the line and to dread it, but the impulse of their hunger is too great for their caution; and, even though they perceive the danger, if thoroughly hungry, they devour the destruction.

These fish breed in March and April, at which time only they are seen swimming near the surface of the water, several of the males pursuing one female. The females are prolific to an extreme degree; there having been no less than three hundred eggs taken out of the body of a single Ray. These eggs are covered with a tough horny substance, which they acquire in the womb; when come to proper maturity, they are excluded, but never above one or two at a time, and often at intervals of three or four hours. These eggs, or pursues, as the fishermen call them, are usually cast about the beginning of May, and they continue, casting them during the whole summer. In October, when their breeding ceases, they are exceedingly poor and thin; but in November they begin to improve, and grow gradually better till May, when they are in the highest perfection.

It is chiefly during the winter season that our fishermen take them; but the Dutch, who are indefatigable, begin their operations earlier, and fish with better success than we. The method practised by the fishermen of Scarborough is thought to be the best among the English; and, as Mr. Pennant has given a very succinct account of it, we shall take leave to present it to the reader.

66

"When they go out to fish, each person is provided with three lines: each man's lines "are fairly coiled upon a flat oblong piece of "wieker work; the hooks being baited and