346 PLEURONECTID.E. 



The length of the head is to that of the body as one to 

 three, caudal rays excluded ; the depth of the body, without 

 the dorsal or anal fins, equal to one -third of the whole 

 length; the dorsal fin commences over the upper eye, and 

 reaches very nearly to the end of the fleshy portion of the 

 tail ; the pectoral fin long and narrow, but shorter and smaller 

 on the under side ; ventral fins under the gill-cover ; the 

 anal fin commencing in a line under the pectoral, and ending 

 near the tail on the same plane as the dorsal fin ; caudal rays 

 of moderate length, and slightly rounded ; but the rays of all 

 the fins in both the specimens before me, from which the de- 

 scription is taken, extend considerably beyond the connecting 

 membranes of each, as shown in the woodcut. 



The fin-rays in number are 



D. 87 : P. 6 : V. 10 : A. 60 : C. 18. 



The mouth is large, with small teeth in both jaws ; lower 

 jaw the longest when separated: eyes rather large; pupils 

 blue ; irides yellow ; orbits separated by a bony ridge ; upper 

 eye larger than the lower, and placed more backward in a 

 vertical line : body in shape an elongated oval, narrowed 

 towards the tail ; the scales large, round, thin, and trans- 

 parent, almost all wanting, so easily are they removed on the 

 slightest touch ; the body of the fish appears naked. I am 

 indebted to the kindness of Mr. Couch for a Cornish speci- 

 men : I also possess one from the Mediterranean, which 

 enables me to say that our fish is the Rhombus nudus of 

 M. Risso, as quoted. The lateral line after its commence- 

 ment at the posterior edge of the operculum rises over the 

 pectoral fin rather higher than the representation indicates ; 

 then descending gradually, deviates but little from a straight 

 line throughout the remainder of its course to the tail. 

 The colour of both specimens is alike, a uniform pale yellow 

 brown. 



