soli;. 



Siillek. TillsUr.. I, ].. M-': Kksti:., Shn,,/. /-'hi,-.. .M. K y. 

 165, Wright, tab. .'JO. 



Snlea vulgaris, Qvens., Vol.-Akml. llniidl.. IHOf., p. 230; I 

 Hoi.i.n., lieskr. Boh. Fisk., part. Ill (Gbgs. Vctt. Vitl. Sumli. 

 N. Ilandl., V, 1822), p. 59 c. lig.; Gottschk, Arch. Naturg., 

 1S:!5, p. 182; Bonai'., Icon. Fn. Hal., loin. III. Pe.H'>, 1, 

 mini. p. leg. 101; Yaur., Ilixt. Brit. Fhli., ud. 2, vol. II, \ 

 p. .'147; Kii., Damn. I'lsk-e, vul. II, p. 4()7; Nilss.. Skand. 

 Fit., Fid:, p. 651; Gtiir, (Jut. Brit. Afns., Fish., vol. IV, 

 p. 463; Stkinp., Stzber. Akad Wiss. Wieii, Matb. Natiirw. 

 fl., lid. I, VII, 1, 1868, p. 720; Coli.., Vid. Selsk. Forli. 

 Clirist., 1874, Tilbi-gsli., p. 148; ibid. 1879, Xo. 1, p. 83; 

 WiNTH., Natiirb. Tidskr. Kbbvii, ser. 3, vol. XII (1879), p. 

 41; lU'CKi.AND, Nat. /fi.-:t. /hit. Fi.^h., p. 184; Mob., Hist. 

 A<il. Pois.->. Fr., liiiii. III. p. 304; Day, Fish. Gt. Brit., 

 /nl., vul. II, p. :i9, tail. CVI; MOli., HCKK, Fisch. Osts., 

 p. 100; Lii.i.i., Si\. Norg. Fisk., vol. II, p. 416. 



Solea Linnei, Mai.m, Ohg.-!, Boh. Fn., p. 532. 



The ordinary length of the Sok; on the west coast 

 of Sweck'n is from 30 to o5 cm. Tlie largest specimen 

 Kkstkom .>*aw, was 5"2 cm. long. Further south the 

 species attains a greater si/e. Yakkell mentions a 

 specimen from the English coast off Totness that was 

 26 in. long and weighed 9 lbs. The largest Soles Buck- 

 i.AXi) coidd prdcurc for iiis museum, wei'c two from 

 Ireland, which together weighed nearly 5' ^ kgm. The 

 body is of an elongated oval form, deepest in front, 

 and thin. The greatest depth, which occurs at the end 

 of the first third of the length of the body, measures 

 between the ba.scs of the dorsal and atial tins, about 

 */™ of the length from the ti|) of the snout to the end 

 of the caudal tin, and \vhen the breadth is taken be- 

 tween the margins of the dorsal and anal fins when 

 exjianded, ' . the length to the base of tlie caudal 

 fin. The lea.st depth, ju.st in front of the base of 



th 



e caudal 



fin. 



IS 



bout 



of the Icncrth of the 



body to the end of the caudal fin. The greatest thick- 

 ness is '',., of the length of the body to the base of 

 the caudal fin or ',,; of the greatest depth between the 

 fins. The curves of the dorsal and ventral margins are 

 .similar. The head is blunt, with rounded, soft and 

 fleshy snout, which curves downwards towards the gape, 

 resembling a parrot's beak, but surrounds onh" the tij) 

 of the lower jaw. The mouth is small, the cleft of the 

 mouth curved in a crescent shape, but larger, more 

 curved and with more fiesliy li])s on the blind .side 

 than on the eye side. On the eve side, however, the 

 under lip forms a dermal fold, which covers the mar- 

 gin of the upper jaw when the mouth is closed: on 

 the blind side the margins of botii jaws are sur- 

 rounded l>v a round swelling. On the eye side of the 

 mouth there are no teeth; but on tiie Itlind side Iioth 



jaws an- lurnished witli veiy fine, S('tifoi'ni, movalde 

 teeth, w hicli are set in several irregular rows, so densely 

 lliat thc\ i'onii broad patches. This structure is not 

 fully apparent, however, until iIh; mouth is dissected. 

 Then we tiiid that tlie jaw-bones of the eye side are 

 considerably reduced. In front of the tip of the vomer 

 — the head of wliicli is furnished po.steriorlv on each 

 side with an articular surface for the palatine bones — 

 lies the ai'ticular knob of the maNillarv bone. This 

 upper (pri^ximal) ])art of the ma.\illai-\ bone sends out 

 a process wliieh covers the outside (jf the upright nasal 

 process of the interniaxillary bone, while the maxillary 

 bone proper projects downwards in the form of a sorae- 

 w\\i\t cur\ed osseous body, triangular above and terete 

 below (distally), and forming the framework of the 

 upper jaw. The intermaxillary bone of this side, on 

 the other hand, is so reduced that it consists almost 

 exclu.sively of the triangular, articular part. The latter, 

 hoAvever, sends out an upright nasal process, in the 

 arch tormed by the ilownward curve of the front end 

 of the etlniioid bone, and is so developed and curved 

 towards the blind .side that there it meets and articu- 

 lates with the intermaxillary bone of that .side, thus 

 forming the true middle part of the margin of the 

 mouth. On its own side, however, this intermaxillary 

 bone is merely a pointed .splinter, lying along the an- 

 terior side of the maxillary bone, and occupj'ing about 

 half the length of the latter. On the blind .side the 

 intermaxillary Ijone is the most jjcnverful bone in the 

 upper jaw, and is shaped like a sharply cur\ed scythe, 

 the handle of which consists of the articular part of 

 the bone. This part sends out its nasal process obli- 

 quely forward, in the direction of the eye side and in 

 front of the npright nasal jirocess of the latter, in the 

 shape of a pointed spine. In front, on the 'handle , 

 this intermaxillary bone is also quite toothless; but the 

 under (inner) surface of the bent part of this bone is verv 

 densely covered with teeth, which strongly remind us of 

 the dentition of the Clicefodontidce. The niaxillarA' bone 

 of the blind side essentially resembles that of the eye 

 side, but is more robust, longer, and curved, and for 

 the greater part of its length behind the articular 

 part is entirely hidden bv the interma.xillarv bone. 

 The structure of the lower jaw is no less singular. 

 Its two halves are considerably different from each 

 other: the half on the eye side is not very unlike 

 the branch of the lower jaw in the generality of fishes, 

 especially in the Plaice, for example: but it is entirely 



