CLASS PISCES. 493 



It is recognized by six or seven tubercles forming 

 a line on the right side of its head, between the eyes, 

 and by spots of an aurora-colour, which relieve the 

 brown of the body on this same side ; it is three times 

 as long as it is high. The flesh of this species is the 

 tenderest of any of this subgenus \ 



PL latas, C, (the broad plaice). Has the same 

 tubercles as the foregoing, but its body is but once and 

 a half as long as it is high. It is very seldom caught 

 on our coasts. 



Pleur. Jlesas, (the flounder), L., Bl. 44. and 50., 

 under the name of PI. passer 2 . Has pretty nearly 

 the same form as the plaice, with paler spots ; it has 

 only small grains at the salient line of the head, and all 

 along its dorsal and anal is a small rough button on 

 the base of each ray ; its lateral line has also bristling 

 scales. Its flesh is much inferior to that of the plaice. 

 It ascends very high into the rivers, and many indi- 

 viduals in this species are reversed. 



PI, pola, Cuv., Duham. Sect. IX. pi. vi. f. 3. and 4., 

 under the name of Vraie Limandelle. Is of oblong 

 form, and approaching to that of the sole, although 

 broader, and is distinguished from the other platessae 



1 It appears that there is in the north a very large plaice, which 

 differs in some respects from this on our coasts, and particularly 

 because the spine behind the anus remains concealed under the skin. 

 {PI. borealis, Faber. Isis. tome xxi. p. 8G8.) 



2 The PL passer of Artedi and Linnaeus is not different from the 

 turbot ; that of Bloch is only an old Jlesus, turned to the left. 



