PLEURONECTIDiE. 29 



11 to 13 in either jaw on the blind side. Gill-rakers very short : not numerous. 

 Fins dorsal commences above the centre of the upper eye ; its rays are longest 

 in the posterior half of the body, where they equal about 1/2 the length of the head. 

 Pectorals of about equal size, and If in the length of the head. Ventrals free. 

 No spine before the anal fin, which latter is similar to the dorsal. Caudal rounded. 

 Scales cycloid, covering the head (except the snout), body, and minute ones on 

 the coloui-ed surface of the vertical fin rays. No filament on the head. Lateral- 

 line on both sides, at first makes a slight curve, more pronounced in some 

 examples than in others, the convexity of which is above, it is then continued 

 almost direct to the centre of the base of the caudal fin. Colours dull yellowish, 

 blotched, and with dark spots, more especially over the chest and along the 

 base of the anal fin. Dark blotches and spots likewise on the anal, caudal, and 

 ventral fins. A dark base to pectoral, which has also some cloudy markings. On 

 the under surface Pennant observed that it was sometimes marked with fine large 

 dusky spots, but that such were not persistent. 



Varieties. Thompson took an example similar to Donovan's, March 3rd, 1835, 

 D. 93, P. 9, V. 5, A. 76 ; it was free from spots, obscurely marked on the upper 

 side and vertical fins with many shades of brown, gray and dull yellow : the 

 orange stripe round the base of the operculum being very conspicuous : it and 

 another had. a lemon mark about an inch behind the base of the pectoral on the 

 coloured side. 



Names. Smear-dab, due to its being frequently covered with slime ; lemon- 

 dab or lemon-sole (Belfast) owing to its colours ; Mary sole, Scotland, Devonshire 

 and Cornwall, in which last county it has likewise been known as hit ; smooth-dab 

 or bastard-sole; town-dab, Hastings; French sole, Youghal ; sole-fleuk, Moray 

 Firth ; sand-fleuh, Edinburgh. Be Tongscliar, Dutch. Le Plie microcephale, 

 French. 



Habits. Parnell observes that in the Firth of Forth it appears during the 

 spi'ing, but two or three seasons pass when not half-a-dozen of these fish are seen 

 in the Edinburgh market. In 1835 they were unusually plentiful, particularly in 

 February, but after March they were scarcely ever met with. Having shed their 

 spawn about April they retire to rocky ground for the remainder of the year. 

 They feed on shell fish and crustacea. Thompson found a Nereis in one. 



Means of capture. Beam trawl, and with small hooks. 



Baits. Soft molluscous animals. 



Breeding. Spawns in May and June. Thompson found one in roe in March, 

 1835, but omits to mention if the ova were well developed or the contrary. 



As food. Thompson considered it " a much better fish than plaice, although 

 not so good as sole nor so sweet as the dab." R. Couch says, " it is but little 

 esteemed as food ;" and Cornish, that it is a very excellent fish. 



Its body is rather thicker than the common dab, and Yarrell considered its 

 flesh equally good, while Pamell says, some people reject it because it possesses 

 a strong disagreeable tarry flavour, while others believe no flat-fish surpasses it 

 in excellence, the flesh being firm and well tasted. The difference depends upon 

 the period of the year when captured, it being good during December, January 

 and February, and unwholesome during April, May and June. 



Habitat. From Iceland and the northern coast of Europe to the British 

 Isles and French coast. It has likewise been captured off Kamstchatka 

 (Steindachner). 



In the Orkneys and Zetland Dr. Duguid obtained one in August, 1848, and 

 Mr. Iverach in July : Moray Firth (Harrison) : Banff, not very common 

 (Edward) : Aberdeen (Sim) : St Andrew's, common (Mcintosh) : Seton Sands 

 and Aberlady Bay (Neill) : during February, March and April, off the Fifeshire 

 coast : Firth of Forth, not common, but mostly seen in spring months (Parnell) : 

 Berwick, not common (Johnston) : Yorkshire, resident and common (Yorkshire 

 Vertebrata) : Norfolk (Lowe) : Sussex coast (Yarrell) : Devonshire (Montagu) : 

 Weymouth, several (Gosse), Cornwall, rather rare (Couch), but I found it to be 

 common : also Brixham and Sussex coast, where it is in season during the autumn 



