5. RHOMBUS. 413 



Lateral line with a slight (" litcn ") curve above the pectoral, and 

 composed of thirty-six jiores in its straight portion. Scales rhombic, 

 with an obtuse angle posteriorly, ciliated. 

 West coast of Norway. 



3. Ventrals united with anal. 

 7. Rhombus punctatus. 



Pennant, Brit. Zool. iii. tab. 41. no. 106 (erroneously named Smear- 

 Dab). 



Grosse Plie ou Targeur, I}uham. Pesch. iii. sect. 9. pi. 5. fig. 4. 



Pleuronectes pimctatus, £1. Ausl. Fische, iii. p. 31. tab. 189 ; Bl. Schn. 

 p. 155. 



kitt, Bl. Schn. p. 162. 



hirtus, Abildi/. in MiiU. Zool. Dan. iii. p. 36. tab. 103 ; Fries in 



Wiegyn. Arch. 1840, p. 32 ; Jen. Man. p. 463. 



Zeugopterus hirtus, Gottsche in Wiegm. Arch. 1835, p. 178. 



Rhombus hirtus, Yarr. Brit. Fish. 2nd edit. ii. p. 334, or 3rd edit. i. 

 p. 646 ; Parn. Wern. Mem. vii. p. 376, or Fish. Frith ofFwth, p. 216 ; 

 Nilss. Skand. Faun. Fisk. p. 646. 



B. 7. D. 93-99. A. 70-80. Vert. 12/25. Cac. pylor. 0. 



Dorsal and anal fins lapped over posteriorly on the blind side of 

 the tail, the last rays forming a small flap there. The height of the 

 body is nearly one-half of the total length (without caudal), the 

 length of the head one-third. Scales rudimentary, but each scale 

 provided with some spines, so that the surface of the whole coloured 

 side is very rough, the head and fin-rays being covered with similar 

 scales. Lateral line rather indistinct, curved above the pectoral, the 

 depth of the curve being somewhat more than that of the base of the 

 pectoral. Jaws subequal anteriorly ; the length of the maxiUary is 

 one-half of that of the head. Snout very obtuse, rather longer than 

 the eye, the diameter of which is one-sixth of the length of the head. 

 Eyes separated by a very narrow ridge, the lower being somewhat in 

 advance of the upper. The dorsal fin commences, with the shortest 

 rays on the foremost part of the snout, vertically at some distance 

 before the lower eye, and is continued on to the root of the caudal ; 

 its longest rays occupy the fifth sixth of the fin, where they are 

 nearly equal to the length of the pectoral, and two-fifths of that of the 

 head. GiU-rakers closely set, elongate-lanceolate, the longest being 

 two-thirds of the diameter of the eye. BroAVTi, with round black 

 spots ; one behind the curve of the lateral line and another on its 

 straight portion, two black spots above the upper eye, and an oblique 

 black band from the lower eye to the suboperculum. 



From the British Channel along the coasts of northern Europe. 



a. A.dult. North coast of Norway. Purchased of Mr. Brandt. 



b-c. Fine specimens. Bahusliin. Presented by Hr. A. W. Malm. 



d. Adult : stufied. Dawlish. 



€. Adult : skin. South Devonshire. 



f-h. Adult and half-grown : skins. From Mr. YarreU's Collection. 



i. Adult: stuffed. Plymouth. Presented by Lieut. H.F. Spence, R.N. 



