200 



SOLE. 



Buglossu/t, or Sofea, WiLtoroHBT; p. 100, table t'.7. 



Pleuronectes solea, Linn;eus. Bloch; pi. 45. 



Donovan; pi. 62. 

 Pleuronerte sole, L.^cepede. TJisso. 



Solea vulgaris, Fleming ; Br. Animals, p. 196. 



" " Jenyns; Manual, p. 466. 



" " Yakrell; Br. Fishes, vol. ii, p. 317. 



" " Gunthee; Cat. Br. Museum, vol. iv, p. 



463, where it is classed in the section 

 in which the pectoral fins of both sides 

 are developed, and the nostrils of the 

 blind side are not dilated. 



This fish is one of the most common and abundant of the 

 British flatfishes, as it also is among the most esteemed at 

 luxurious tables. Its haunts are generally in sand or gravelly 

 ground, and in deeper water than what is frequented by the 

 Plaice and Flounder; although it is also said to come into the 

 fresh water of tidal rivers, and even to thrive there. The range 

 of the Sole in the ocean is very wide, since they are not only 

 known round the British Island, but much further northward 

 in the ocean, and through the Baltic, as well as through the 

 extent of the Mediterranean, and southward even to the Cape 

 of Good Hope; where, however, it is considered a rare fish. 

 The large number of Soles which are caught in the United 

 Kingdom may be judged from the fact that the average amount 

 of those which were yearly brought to the London Market in 

 the early part of the present century was ninety-seven millions, 

 and those which were sold in other parts of the kingdom must 

 have been proportionally great; but there seems little doubt that 

 in consequence of such destruction the fishery at this time is 

 much less productive. By far the greatest numbers arc caught 



