138 FISH HAEVESTING. 



and sand. The flounder, thus disturbed, scuds 

 along the bottom, and stirs up the sand like a 

 trail, marking its line of progress. The sharp- 

 eyed savage notes the spot where the dirt-line 

 ends, paddles up to it, dashes in the spear, and, 

 quick as thought., transfers the ' flat ' fish from its 

 fancied hiding-place to the bottom of the canoe. 

 Immense numbers are taken in this manner at 

 every tide. The following are the species usu- 

 ally sold in the markets : 



Pleuronectes bilineates (Platessa bilineata, 

 Ayres, in Proc. Calif. Acad., 1855, p. 40), the Two- 

 lined Flatfish. Sp. Ch. : The height of the body 

 is a little less than one-half of the entire length, 

 the length of the head nearly one-fourth ; snout 

 somewhat projecting, not continuous in direc- 

 tion with the descending profile of the nape ; 

 eyes on the right side large, their diameter being 

 two-sevenths of the length of the head, separated 

 by a strong prominent ridge, which is partly 

 covered with scales; lower jaw prominent; a 

 single even row of strong blunt teeth in each 

 jaw, less developed on the coloured side than on 

 the blind ; scales very conspicuous, those on 

 the head and on the tail ciliated; lateral line 

 with a strong curve above the pectoral : a second 

 series of pores commences above the eye, and 



