456 SEVENTH REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AXE) GAME COMMLSSION. 



that date more than half a barrel were caught in the inlet near buoy No. 2, with 

 )-oung Menhaden for bait. One of the Fluke disgorged a Sand Lance. 



It feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and occasionally on sand dollars, 

 and one of its favorite foods is said to be the .Squid. This fish is found general!}- in 

 salt water, but frequently ascends fresh streams. Unlike the Flatfish, it moves ofT 

 into deep water in winter, and may be found in summer near the shores. The 

 Fluke has the same habit as the Flatfish, of burying itself in the sand when alarmed, 

 or secreting itself from its prey. It is often found feeding about wharves, whose 

 supports furnish it a suitable hiding place from which to dart on small fishes when 

 they are congregated in schools. I have seen large individuals cautiously wriggling 

 their way upward in the concealment of a wharf pile till within easy reach of a 

 shoal of Silversides, when a sudden dart into the midst -of the school would result 

 in the capture of a fish, and the Flounder would leisurely sink to digest its victim 

 and prepare for another onslaught. It has been known to reach a weight of 26 

 pounds. Dr. Goode has seen individuals measuring 3 feet in length. The fish is 

 caught largely in weirs and traps. It is probable that more of them are taken in 

 Vineyard .Sound and in Rhode Island waters than on any other parts of our coast. 

 The fishing season e.xtends from May to October. They are carried ali\e in well- 

 smacks to the markets. Menhaden is the bait principally used for the capture of 

 the Fluke by hook and line. 



146. Southern Flounder < Para/ichtkys /ci/ios/igniKs Jordan & Gilbert). 



Platessa oblonga Df.Kav, N. Y. Fauna, Fish., 299, pi. 48, fig. 156, 1S42, Neu- York, not 



Fleujonecfes obloiigus Mitchill. 

 Paralichthys licntatiis ]ov^Y>k^ & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. .Mus., 822, 1S83. 

 Paralichfhys lethostigmus Jord.'XN & Everm.^vnn, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Ill, 2630, 



1S98. 



Color dusky olive, with a few darker mottlings and spots. 



This is the fish which was described by Jordan and Gilbert under the name of 

 the Southern Flounder. It inhabits the South Atlantic and Gulf coast of the 

 United States, ranging north to New York. DeKay described and figured it as the 

 Oblong Flounder, which he says grows to the length of 15 to 20 inches and occasion- 

 ally larger. He states that it is common along the sandy shores of New York, and 

 is procured abundantly in the months of September and October; that it is excellent 

 eating, and usually sells at from 6 cents to 8 cents^a pound ; that it is tenacious of 

 life and can be preserved in good condition for a long period. 



