2i8 SALT-WATER FISHES 



side ; on the coloured side they are both fewer and smaller. 

 There are no teeth in the palate. 



As to the size of this fish, this varies in different parts 

 of our seas, while the Baltic produces small plaice just as it 

 also produces small cod. Cole and Johnstone, whose memoir 

 on this fish has already been noticed, give ■^'t, in. as the 

 length of the largest plaice on record, and its weight at 

 15 lb. Cunningham gives 28 in. as the maximum length for 

 Scotch waters ; 24 in. for the Plymouth district ; and 26 in. for 

 the west coast of Ireland. He makes allusion to " several 

 inches longer than 30 in." farther north, but gives no actual 

 examples. 



The distribution of the plaice in European seas is general, 

 though variable. It ranges to the colder waters of the 

 north, and is found in the Bay of Biscay, but it is scarce 

 throughout the Mediterranean. According to Cunningham, 

 it feeds by preference on the razor-fish, particularly on its 

 so-called " foot," and also on cockles, lugworms, ragworms, 

 sand-stars, and occasional shrimps. 



The plaice spawns in the English Channel and North 

 Sea during the first three months of the year ; in the eastern 

 portion of the Channel and in the North Sea possibly until 

 May ; and in all seas at a considerable distance from land. 

 According to Cole, the female deposits about 300,000 eggs, 

 a smaller number than would be deposited by the average 

 round fish of the same size. The egg, one of the largest 

 of the flat-fish type, has a diameter of nearly -p^ i'l- The 

 capsule is tough and sHghtly corrugated, and there is no oil- 

 globule. The egg, being large, develops slowly, and takes, 

 even at spring temperature, ten or twelve days to hatch. 

 It floats near the surfice, where herrings devour it along 

 with copepoda. 



The larva measures about \ in., and has small black and 

 yellow spots on the body and head. The entire change, 

 from the symmetrical round fish type, in which the plaice 



