THE FISHES OF RHODE ISLAND.* 



V. THE FLAT-FISHES. 



BY HENRY C. TRACY, A. M., 



BROWN UNIVERSITY. 



The flat-fishes and flounders comprise a group wliich is in many 

 respects one of the most interesting among the fishes. Their 

 abundance in all seas and their excellent food qualities has long 

 made them of very great value to tnan. Another factor which 

 contributes greatly to their value to man is their availability; many 

 species of the family find their most natural abode in shallow waters 

 near the shore, where they are easily accessible to all fishermen, even 

 to those who work with the most primitive methods; in most locali- 

 ties, also, one or more species of flat-fishes are present in considerable 

 abundance during every season of the year, and so afford a constant 

 supply of valuable fish. Thus the value of the flat-fishes to man 

 compares very favorably with that of those fishes whose vast wan- 

 dering schools sometimes furnish immense quantities of fish but 

 which are very irregular in their visitations and subject to great 

 variations in abundance. 



The flat-fishes also possess a peculiar interest, since they furnish a 

 striking illustration of the modification of an animal to a certain 

 specialized mode of life. They show how unique may be the direction 



* Previous papers in this series are as follows: 



I. A List of the Fishes of Rhode Island, 36th Report, 1905, page 3S. 

 II The Common Fishes of the Herring Family, 36th Report, 1905, page 100. 



III. The Fishes of the Mackerel Family, 37th Report, 1906, page 33. 



IV. A. List of Rare Fishes Taken in Rhode Island in the Year 1906, 37th Report, 1906, 

 page 65. 



