DISTRIBUTION AND LOCATION 275 



the fishes of the temperate zones in general but shall merely try- 

 to convey an impression of the character of the fish-fauna of 

 certain countries which are most likely to interest the British 

 reader. In the first place we may compare the coast of Europe 

 with the eastern coast of North America. 



In comparing the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North 

 America we have to consider not merely families and genera 

 but species. The larger differences of families are few; for 

 example, the marine Cyprinodonts such as Fundulus which 

 occur on the American coast are wanting on the European 

 side. The herring, cod, and haddock occur on both sides 

 of the Atlantic in the north, and also the pollack, but the 

 whiting is unknown on the American side, and the American 

 hake is a different species of Merhiccins from the European 

 hake. Among the Pleuronectidae or flat-fishes the species of 

 the two sides are mostly different ; the halibut occurs on both 

 sides but the plaice is not found in American waters, it is 

 replaced by a species called Pletironectes glacalis or glabra. 

 The valued sole and turbot are entirely wanting on the Ameri- 

 can coast, the brill is also wanting, but there is an allied species 

 of small size and little value known as the window-pane from 

 its thinness, technically named Rhoi7ibus maailatus ; Pseudo- 

 pleuronectes americanus is a species peculiar to America and 

 allied to the plaice ; the soles are represented only by small 

 and useless species with rudimentary pectorals, the chief of 

 which is the hog-choker (Achirus lineatits). Of other Clupeidae 

 besides the herring, American species are mostly different 

 from the European : Clapea brevoortia, the menhaden, is a large 

 fish and very abundant, it is valued for its oil, not as food ; 

 the American shad, Clupea sapidissima, is allied to but dis- 

 tinct from the European species, the pilchard is represented by 

 distinct species and the sprat is absent. Among spiny-finned 

 fishes (Acanthopterygians) the European families are repre- 

 sented, but usually by different genera or different species; the 

 mackerel and the common horse-mackerel both occur ; the 

 John dory is entirely absent on the American coast, although 

 an allied species occurs in Japan ; the angler (Lophius pisca- 

 torhis), on the other hand, is equally common on both coasts. 



On the whole the fishes of the North Pacifice are similar 

 to those of the North Atlantic, and this is not surprising 



