228 AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



VARIATIONS IN COLOUR 



In November 1890 a Plaice lying on a fish slab 

 caught my attention. It is a common practice for fish- 

 mongers to lay Plaice out for sale the under side up, 

 just as they lay Soles in pairs, and Smeared Dabs 

 the right side up. The Plaice in question had a 

 patch of greenish brown the colour of the upper 

 surface on the tail-end, reaching upwards one-fourth 

 of the length of the fish. There were two separate 

 spots of this colour, and wherever this discoloration 

 obtained, spots exactly corresponding with those on 

 the upper surface were present. This is invariably 

 the case in Plaice so marked, wherever the 

 blotchings may be. This applies even to the fins. 

 I have observed that in under-coloured examples 

 that are lighter tinted, such as dirty cream or light 

 grey, they are minus the spots. 



An Albino Brill. In February 1892 I obtained a 

 perfectly albino variety of the common Brill 

 (Rhombus Icevis). The upper surface was entirely 

 white, like the under side, with the exception of the 

 extreme edges of the surrounding fins, which merged 

 into a yellowish grey. When fresh, the fish had a 

 pretty appearance, the thin, smooth, polished upper 



