32 



bling the halibut in that respect. The name of the halibut 

 is derived in Dutch, German, and French from the name 

 for flounder— " Heilbot," " Heilbutt," and "Fletan." 



Under favourable conditions the flounder has a very 

 rapid growth. They have been known to reach the weight 

 of 5 lbs. A few years ago some young flounders, under an 

 inch in length, were taken from the Eibble, at Preston, 

 and placed in a reservoir near to Blackburn, and they 

 arrived at 1 lb. weight each in two years. They would be 

 most valuable fish to keep the water snails down in 

 reservoirs used for the supply of towns. 



All flat fish rest on one side of the body, and that one 

 of the eyes which is underneath in the young, passes 

 over the nose, so that both eyes are on the same cheek in 

 the mature fish. The flounder generally rests on the left 

 side, but one finds manj'- reversed individuals resting on 

 the right side; while it is a very rare occurrence in the 

 other flat fish to so vary. 



The flounder, as a food fish, is highly esteemed in 

 London, but it is not so much esteemed in Lancashire. 

 In my opinion you cannot have a much worse tasted fish 

 when going from the rivers to the sea for spawning pur- 

 poses, or a much better or firmer fish when returning from 

 the sea after spawning. 



The food of the flounder consists principally of worms 

 and Crustacea. It is very fond of Corophium longicorne, 

 which frequents in enormous numbers the mudflats in our 

 estuaries. The flounders follow the rise of the tide on to 

 the mudflats, and retiring to the channels on its return, 

 they bury themselves in the sand until the tide again 

 enables them to reach feeding grounds. They also eat a 

 quantity of bi-valve Molluscs and fresh-water snails. I 

 have seen their borings for bi-valve Molluscs close to 

 high-water line on the flat sands of Morecambe Bay. 



