Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/827

* BAWLINSON". RAWLINSON, IloBEKT (lSlO-98). An Eng- lish civil and sanitary engineer, born in Bristol. He was first employed in work on docks and harbors, and then on the London and Birming- ham Railway, under Robert Stephenson. After- wards he worked in Liverpool, where he was assistant surveyor to the corporation, and Gov- ernment inspector. In 1855 he was put at the head of the sanitary commission sent by Eng- land to the Crimea, and did much to lessen the terrible mortality among the soldiers. His works include: Drainage of Toicns (1854) ; Lectures on Saiiitari; Queslions (1870) ; and Hygiene of Armies in the Field (1883). RAW'MAKSH. A town in the West Riding of Yorkshire. England, 2% miles north of Rotherham (Map : "England. E 3). It has col- lieries, foundries, machine works, and potteries. The municipality owns its gas and water works, electric lighting, street railways. Population, in 1901, 14,600. RAWNS'LEY, Hakdwick Drummoxd (1850 — ). An English clergyman and poet, born at Shiplake-on-Thames. September 28, 1850. After graduating from Balliol College, Oxford, he took orders in the English Church (1875), and be- came curate at the mission of Clifton College, Bristol, vicar of Wray at Windermere ( 1878- 83), then vicar of Crosthwaite at Keswick and honorary canon of Carlisle. He ))ublished many volumes of verse, and among his prose works are: Village Sermons (two series, 1894 and 1897) ; Life and ature at the English Lakes (18991 ; and Memories of the Tenni/sons (1900). RAW'SON, Albekt Leightox (1828—). An American author, traveler, and artist. He was born at Chester, Vt., and educated privately at Elack River Academy, Ludlow. Vt. Always much interested in esoteric orders, he was adopt- ed as brother by the Adwan Bedouins of iloab, in- itiated by the Druses on Mount Lelianon. and in America became one of the founders of the Order of ISTobles of the Mystic Shrine, also a member of the Theosophical Society and the Society of the Rosy Cross. He has illustrated several books dealing with the East, aniono; them lives of Christ by Beecher, Deems, and Crosby. He has published various translations from Oriental languages, a Vocabulary of the Bedouin Language of fiyria and Egypt (1874), and a Dic- tionarii of Arabic. German, and English (1876). RAWTENSTALL, ra'ten-st.al. A municipal borough in Lancashire. England, on the Irwell, 18 miles nortli of Manchester (Map: England. D 3). It is a busy manufacturing centre with woolen, cotton, and carpet manufactures, col- lieries, and stone quarries. Population, in 1891, 29,500: in 1901. 31,000. RAY (OF. rate, rage, Fr. raie. from Lat, raja, ray. roach; connected with AS. reohhe. LGer. ruche. Ger. Roche, MDutch roch, OF. roche.rosse. Fr. roche. Eng. roach). A general name for the elasmobranch fishes of the order Batoidei. char- acterized by the dorso-ventrally flattened body. This order includes the saw-iSshes, sea-devils, stingrays, skates, guitar-fishes, and torpedoes (qq.v,). The true rays have a flat body: the pectoral fins are large and fleshy, appearing as lateral expansions of the body, and along with it forming a circular disk or a rhomboid, to which is attached a rather long and slender tail. The pectoral fins are prolonged till they meet in 727 RAY. front of the snout, and backward till they join the ventral fins. The eyes and spiracles look upward. The gill-openings (five) are on the imder side of the body, close behind the moutli ; and toward the tail are the stomach, intestines, and other viscera. The males are furnished with claspers. Most of the species are egg- laying; but the guitar-fishes (Rhinohatidw) are pecu- liar in that their e"gs are retained until they hatch within the body. The eggs are large and are inclosed in thin horny cases resembling those TYPE OF KAV'S EGG. of sharks, but more rectangular in form, with projections at each of the four corners, by which they catch upon and are held to eel-gras3 or other supports until they hatch. These eggs are familiarly known in England as "skate bar- rows,' and in America as 'mermaids' purses.' Rays are found in all seas, especially in the warmer ones, and commonly inhabit sandy or muddy shores, lying on the bottom, where they feed on moUusks and are often cast up on the beacU. The most common rays in the L^nited States are those of the typical family Rajidse. usually called 'skates.' Those of the family Myliobatidae are called 'eagle-rays' (q.v.). A large section of the order is known as the suborder Masticura, or whip-tailed rays, in allusion to the veiy long slender tail, which in most species, especially of the family Dasyatidae, is armed, near its base, by one or more large jagged, erectile spines, capable of inflicting a severe and even dangerous wound. This has given to those fishes the name of sting-ray. The common sting-ray of the At- lantic shore is the 'clam-cracker' (Dasyatis ccn- trura). which abounds from Maine to Cape Hat- teras. and sometimes reaches a length of ten to twelve feet. The color is olive-brown above and nearly wliite below. Until half grown the young are smooth, but as they approach maturity broad conical bucklers appear on the back and tail, and many flattened tubercles. T1iis tendency to grow rough with age cliaracterizes most of these fishes, but is sometimes checked, as in the case of the smooth sting-ray or 'bat-fish' (ilyliohatis Californicus) of the Pacific Coast. Sting-raya gather upon beds of cultivated oysters, or in places where clams abound, and destroy great numbers of these valuable moUusks. Xo trace of any poison glands has been found, but Kings- ley says th.it the mucus of the fish probably pos- sesses poisonous qualities. Fossil selachians allied to the rays are repre- sented by fragmentary remains from Devonian and Carboniferous rocks and by more perfect and abundant material in the ^lesozoic and Tertiary deposits. Exquisitely preserved skeletons of Rhinobatis from the Jurassic lithographic stone of Bavaria present few differences from modem species of the same genus. Consult: Kingsley, •Standard Natural History (Boston. 1885); Goode. Fishery Industries, sec. i. (Washington, 1884) : .Jordan and Everniann, American Food and Game Fishes (Xew York, 1902). See Plate of Rays and Skates.