THE FLOUNDER 97 



Nature sometimes indulges ; but here utilitarian consideration 

 for the need of concealment has prevailed, and the flounder 

 becomes closely assimilated to his environment. Mud gives 

 the easiest lying, therefore muddy flats are his favourite haunt, 

 and muddy tints darken his skin, sometimes faintly enlivened 

 by yellowish spots ; but on a clean sand bottom the fish 

 assumes a corresponding livelier tint, and white or albino 

 individuals are occasionally taken. As mentioned above, most 

 flat-fish lie on their right side, but flounders and soles generally 

 do so on the left, and conform to the command u Eyes right ! " 

 but there are individual exceptions. 



The apparent breadth of the flounder is greatly increased 

 by the peculiar arrangement of the dorsal and ventral fins, 

 which form a broad fringe round the greater part of its 

 circumference. The dorsal fin, containing about sixty rays, 

 starts above the eyes and extends to the thin part of the tail, 

 the rays being longest at a point more than halfway towards the 

 tail. Exactly opposite are the longest rays in the anal fin, 

 which, however, contains only from thirty-nine to forty-five rays, 

 commencing behind the pectoral fins. The pectoral fins, with 

 ten rays, are alike on each side of the body, which is singular, 

 seeing that the action and function of that on the upper side 

 must be permanently different from that on the " blind " 

 side. The caudal fin, with fourteen rays, is long, square-cut, 

 and effective. The ventral fins are short, with six rays each, 

 and are placed rather further forward than the pectoral, in 

 keeping with the general anomalous structure of the family. 

 In the case of a gentleman who carried both eyes on the 

 same side of his nose, it would add but mildly to our surprise 

 to find that he wore his waist-belt round his neck. 



The flounder spawns in spring, the date varying, according 



to climate, from February to May. The ova are provided on 



a prodigal scale, upwards of one million and a 



quarter having been reckoned in a single fish 



weighing i^ lb., and are scattered on the pelagic system 



7 



