154 LONG ROUGH DAB. 



For the sake of greater accuracy, I copy our description 

 and figure from the Swedish work of Ekstrom and Sunde- 

 vall; of which it is the boast that the plates and descriptions 

 were taken from the fishes represented in it immediately as 

 they came out of the water. Mr. Cocks' example was caught 

 in the middle of September, and measured nine inches in 

 length, and in breadth three inches and a quarter. According 

 to Ekstrom, it sometimes reaches twelve inches, with the 

 breadth, exclusive of the fins, one third of the extreme length; 

 the head to the border of the gill-cover is one fourth of the 

 whole body, excluding the caudal fin; the body regularly 

 oblong, much com]3ressed; in thickness not exceeding a tenth 

 of the breadth; the scales more regular and equal than in 

 most of the flatfishes — rounded, with a free border, doubly 

 bent or channeled, the middle angle blunt, rounded with 

 from twelve to twenty small points, which are ciliated; on the 

 blind side these are so roughened only at the hindmost part 

 and at the base of the fins. The eyes, which look to the 

 right, are nearly equal, and the uj^per one is placed by a 

 fifth part further back than the other; the lower eye in length 

 equal to the distance of the j^oint of the snout. The ridge 

 behind the eyes low and smooth. Mouth large, as in the 

 Holibut and Turbot; teeth small, conic; the usual veil in the 

 mouth as in all flatfishes. Lateral line only gently sloped; 

 vent near the angle of the gill-cover; anal sj)ine strong and 

 sharp. Dorsal fin with from seventy-eight to eighty -five rays, 

 and in breadth at the middle one fourth of the breadth of 

 the body; all the rays with scales in a single row, which are 

 rough on the upper side; the anal fin begins a little behind 

 the vent, and has from sixty -four to sixty-six rays; this and 

 the dorsal ending far short of the tail; caudal fin lengthened, 

 at the middle, with eighteen rays; pectoral with ten or ele\en 

 rays, which are all simple — a circumstance th?,t is peculiar to 

 this species; but the lower pectoral, whi-ch is smaller, has 

 branched rays; ventral fins with six rays. Colour dusky 

 yellow, and in some situations it is slightly spotted. 



