roLE-FLOUNDKl!. 



381 



loncfer on llic eve side tliim on tlic blind side. In tlie 

 pectoral fins the tAvo ov tln-ee uppermost r;iys .miuI tlu; 

 lowest ray of all are uinlivided; in the ventral fins at 

 least the first (outeruiost) ray is undivided or otdy in- 

 distinetly branched. The caudal fin, the length of 

 wliich, measured at the middle, is from 18 to 16 % of 

 that (jf the body, is rounded or obtusely pointed at 

 the hind margin. it contains between 14 and IH" 

 branched rays and ;ui inconstant number (3 — 5 (jii each 

 side) of supporting raj'S. 



The scaly covering of the body is abundant and 

 compact, but tiiiii, consisting of imbricated, cycloid' 

 scales, which are rather small on the forepart of the 

 body, but fairly large posteriorly and on the caudal 

 hn''. The scales of the blind side are generally some- 

 what smaller than those <jf the eye side. The only 

 scaleless parts are the snout and the under jaAV (at least 

 the greatei' part thereof), the In'unchiostegal membranes, 

 the iiuier surface of the paired tins, and the tops of the 

 ravs in these fins as well as in the dorsnl and anal fins. 

 Kuoyer's estimate of the scales of tiie lateral line is 



which is greater than the width of the stomach and in- 

 testine, are set behind the pylorus, which lies at the loAver 

 posterior corner of the abdominal cavity. The intestine is 

 shar])ly divided from the stomach, and has much thinner 

 walls than the latter. The liver seems to vary consider- 

 ably in size''. In this species too, however, it covers the 

 greater portion of the intestines. On the blind side the 

 peritoneum is white or clouded with black, on the eye 

 side black, which latter colour also extends over the 

 anterior part of the secondary abdominal cavity of the 

 eye side. This cavity, as well as that of the blind side, 

 is of a considerable length'' in the females, the length 

 of each of these cavities, in which the ovaries are con- 

 tained, being only slightly less than half the length of 

 the body. The nundier of the eggs is very consider- 

 able'. The testes of the males probably do not attain 

 so great a size as the ovai-ies. In two males (one taken 

 in March, the otiier at an unspecified time of year) the 

 testes are not even so large as tlie liver, and in shape 

 only slightly more elongated than an erpiilateral tri- 

 angle; and it is onlv on the eye side that the secondary 



'more than 120;" G()(jnE and Bean counted between abdominal cavity is somewhat elongated, to receive the 



109 and 150 transverse rows of scales on the blind side 

 and between 110 and 140 on the eye side. The lateral 

 line is sti'aight, and fairly closely follows the middle 

 of the sides, or sometimes, according to Goode and 

 Bean, forms a distinct curve on the abdominal part, 

 above the pectoral tins''. 



The abdominal cavity proper is small', but contains 

 the whole of the intestinal canal with the exception of 

 one coil, which, together with the elongated spleen, passes 

 into' the secondary abdominal cavity of the eye side, 

 where it lies upon the ujjper part of the sexual organs. 

 Two well-developed pyloric appendages, the length of 



coil of the intestine^. The vent is situated at about 

 the middle of the length of the pectoral fins when 

 folded, or somewhat further forward. 



The coloration of the Pole is variable like that of 

 the other Flatfishes. The original of our figure, a fe- 

 male 44.5 mm. long, which was taken by Mr. C. A. 

 Hansson in Starekil off Stromstad, on the 21st of Ja- 

 nuary', 1888, was of a light grayish russet on the eye 

 side, with streaks of a darker colour, when it reached the 

 Royal Museum. On the right side of the vertical fins 

 and on the right ventral fin this colour shaded into 

 grayish violet, but in the anterior part of the dorsal 



" In one specimen from. Halifax (N. S.) 19 brancbed rays, 3 supporting rays above and 2 below. 



* According to D.\Y tbe scales on the eye side of tbe body are "feebly ctenoid." F.\ber seems also to have met with similar speci- 

 mens. Cf. GOTTSCHE, 1. c. 



•■ In a specimen 470 mm. long the largest scales (on the tail) of the eye side are about 0' ., mm. long, while the scales on the fore- 

 part of the body (on the back above the pectoral tin of the eye side) are about 2'., mm. lonir. In a specimen 516 mm. in length the 

 largest scales are T'/o nini. long. 



■' This also applies to the specimen from Halifax which the Royal Museum has received from the Smithsonian Institution. 



' In a female 470 mm. long its length is 40 mm. and its depth 60 mm. 



•' In the female just mentioned the coil of the intestine extends into this secondary abdominal cavity for a distance of 37 mm. 



:' Kroyer describes it as rather small; but in the above female the liver occupies 45 mm. of the depth of the abdominal cavity, and 

 in a male 411 mm. long, in which the abdominal cavity is 38 mm. long and 42 mm. deep, the liver occupies 26 mm. of this depth — in 

 each case on the left side. 



'' In the female just mentioned the left ovary is 198 ram. long, ami its tip extends to a point only 62 mm. distant from the end of 

 the anal fin; the right ovary is 231 mm. long, and its tip is only 48 mm. distant from the end of the anal fin. 



' In ovaries so large the eggs were rather small, tlieir diameter being only ' ■, mm. According to Thompson, however, the eggs of 

 this species may attain a diameter of 1'/- mm. 



' In one of the above males, 411 mm. in length, the secondary abdominal cavity of the eye side is 41 mm. long, and in a male 

 516 mm. in length (from Halifax) it is 97 mm. long. 



