374 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



and spotted with dark brown ; under surface pure white ; occasion- 

 ally of a dark appearance, and instances have occurred in which both 

 surfaces were of the same colour. Dorsal fin commencing anterior to 

 the right eye, between it and the upper lip ; the first ray short, about 

 the length of the orbit, the thirty-six succeeding ones gradually in- 

 creasing, the rest gradually diminishing, the last ray about the length 

 of the first, the longest ray equalling the length of the base of the 

 first nine rays of the same fin. Anal fin arising in advance of the 

 base of the pectorals, and ending under the last ray of the dorsal, 

 being separated from the caudal fin by a short interval ; origin of 

 the pectorals placed under the nineteenth ray of the dorsal, the 

 fourth and fifth rays rather the longest, equalling the length of the 

 base of the first eight rays of the dorsal. First ray of the anal 

 short, the succeeding seventeen gradually increasing, the remain- 

 der gradually diminishing, the last rather shorter than the first, 

 the longest ray, as long as the base of the first eight rays of the 

 same fin. Base of the ventrals long, placed in a line under the 

 cheeks, the rays gradually increasing from the first ; the fin in form 

 and size is similar to the anterior portion of the dorsal as far as the 

 ninth ray. Under jaw longest ; teeth small and sharp, set a little 

 apart, arranged in several rows, particularly in the front of each jaw ; 

 eyes rather small, the under one rather in advance of the upper; 

 lateral line much arched over the pectoralSj after which it passes 

 straight to the base of the tail, from thence along the under margin of 

 the middle caudal ray ; caudal fin rounded at the end, the middle 

 ray equalling the length of the base of the first eleven rays of the 

 anal. Both sides of the body smooth, excepting being furnished 

 with prominent osseous tubercles having their blunt points directing 

 forwards ; on the upper surface, they are more numerous than on the 

 lower ; head and cheeks rough, with tubercles of a similar kind, but 

 smaller, more numerous and set close together, particularly between 

 the eyes and along the margin of the preoperculum ; body apparently 

 without scales, marked with a number of irregular depressed lines, 

 particularly on the under surface. Number of fin rays — 

 D. 66 j P. 11 ; V. 6 ; A. 48 ; C. 15. 



The Turbot is seldom met with in Orkney and still rarer 

 towards the Shetland Isles. .Along the east coast of Scot- 

 land, in the bays of the Moray and Dornoch Firth, they are 

 occasionally taken but of small size, and do not appear in any 

 numbers until we approach the English coast. At the 

 mouth of the Firth of Forth, they are found more plenti- 

 ful, and specimens weighing from twenty to thirty pounds 



