21 



Fins. — The dorsal commences just a trifle fartlier forwards than in S. vulgaris, the 

 base of the first ray being in line with the longitudinal diameter of the upper eye. 

 The two pectorals are equal in length, and the length is contained two and a half 

 times in the length of the head. 



Eyes. — Dorsal eye half of its longitudinal diameter in front of the ventral, and 

 more than its long diameter from the end of the snout ; therefore not so near the edge 

 as in vulgaris. 



Nostrils. — Both nostrils on the right side close together immediately in front of 

 the ventral eye, both tubular, but the anterior considerably the longer. On the 

 left side the anterior nostril is very broad and dilated, its edges being reflected 

 outwards. These edges are covered externally with the slender papilla3 of the under 

 surface of the snout. Internally there are a number of folds projecting from the 

 inner surface of the nostril radially towards its centre, the ventral of these folds being 

 thicker than the rest : the posterior nostril is tubular, narrow, and flaccid, and situated 

 a short distance behind the upper part of the rim of the anterior. 



Mouth and Teeth as in vulgaris. The villi of the under side of the snout are finer 

 and even more closely crowded than in vulgaris ; they are especially long and 

 numerous round the edge of the dilated nostril. The villous area does not extend so 

 far backwards as in vulgaris. The scales cover the Avhole right side of the head, as in 

 vulgaris, but on the lower side they extend farther forwards above the nostrils, though 

 lines of villi are developed along the transverse branches of the cephalic portion of the 

 lateral line system. One of the scales from the middle region of the right side of the 

 body has seventeen radiating rows of spines, six spines in each of the middle rows. 

 (PI. XIV, 4.) 



Tlie curved portion of the lateral line on the head on the right side is almost as dis- 

 tinct as in vulgaris ; on the lower side the arrangement is the same as in that species. 



Colour. — After death the colour is much lighter than that of vulgaris, being yellow- 

 brown instead of dull brown ; hence the name lemon sole by which the species is some- 

 times called. In life the ground colour is a brownish-yellow, and the markings consist 

 of numerous small black specks scattered pretty uniformly over the whole surface. 

 Careful examination shows that among these black specks, groups can be recognised 

 which correspond in position with the black blotches of the common sole. In these 

 groups the specks are somewhat larger and closer together than elsewhere. Thus the 

 markings of the present species could be derived from those of vulgaris by taking 

 away so much of the black of the blotches in the latter as to leave only a group of 

 distinct specks. Among the specks are scattered other small spots of a light blue 

 colour ; these correspond to the white spots of irulgaris, but I have never seen them 

 white. What was said of the relation of the colour to the scales in vulgaris applies 

 here also ; many of the scales are bright yellow at their bases. The colour of the fins 

 resembles that in vulgaris ; there is a black spot on the outer half of the pectoral. 

 The eyes are coloured as in vulgaris. 



