7 8 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



In Rothesay Museum there is a cast of a specimen caught 

 locally in which the posterior quarter of the body was almost 

 white on the right side. The anterior f was normal in colour 

 as also was the tail ; on the blind side the distribution of the 

 pigment, including the red spots, was similar to and symmetrical 

 with the right, only much darker. The dorsal fin in the cast 

 ends over the origin of the pectoral, not reaching near the head, 

 which is 4^ in the length (normal 4^). 



WITCH (P. cynoglosstts, L.). The presence of chromatophores 

 scattered over the left side about 50 per sq. cm. seems to 

 be a normal condition. 



DAB (P. limanda, L.). (i) The specimen caught by Mr. Goudie is 

 171 mm. long, completely pigmented on both sides, and in 

 general appearance rather short and stumpy, particularly about 

 the head. 



The head is distinctly short, 5.3 in the length, instead of 4f 

 to 5, as given by Day in " British Fishes," vol. ii. p. 32. The 

 dorsal fin ends anteriorly in a hook, as is common in ambicoloured 

 flat-fish. The end of the hook, instead of projecting above 

 the eyes, is bent down close to the edge of the left eye, which it 

 touches. This makes it look from the right as though the 

 dorsal fin ended behind the left eye without a notch ; the 

 notch only shows distinctly from the left side. The left eye is 

 placed almost on the top of the head. On the left side there is 

 a depression in the operculum, the region of the preopercular 

 bone being distinctly concave. The fin formula is D. 75, P. 

 10, V. 6, A. 55, C. 15, i.e. one extra ray in the caudal fin. 



(2) 200 mm. long, slightly coloured on the left pectoral and 

 ventral, the angle between the ventral margin, from the chin to 

 ventrals, and the gill cleft being fully pigmented. 



(3) 1 60 mm. long, has a slight patch on the left operculum 

 and a few chromatophores scattered over the body. 



(4) 112 mm. long, has a patch on the operculum and a streak 

 3 mm. wide crossing half-way from the middle of the dorsal fin 

 to the middle of the anal fin. Also a few chromatophores 

 near the base of the dorsal fin posteriorly. 



FLOUNDER (P.fasus, L.). There is a fully ambicoloured specimen 

 which has been in the station for some years, 310 mm., head 

 rather longer than normal, 3.8 instead of 4 in the length. The 

 anterior end of dorsal fin ends in a free hook which hardly 

 reaches to the posterior edge of the left eye as in that figured by 

 Cunningham and M'Munn, I.e. pi. 54, fig. 2, where it overlaps 

 the left eye. Left eye is on the top of the head. 



In October Messrs. M'Neil, Millport, took a flounder on 

 Fairlie Sands which was ambicoloured and had the head to the 



