86 WILD LIFE OF SCOTLAND 



haddock, and whiting grow to a great size off the 

 coast of Iceland, whither our trawlers go in search 

 of them. They abound round Orkney, and Shetland. 

 They still retain their numbers, while diminishing 

 in size and weight, in the chiller waters, and probably 

 scantier larder of the North Sea. But, beyond the 

 south of England, they thin out more and more. 

 Their range is from 75 within the Arctic Circle, 

 to 50 in the English Channel ; and they seem to 

 approach no nearer the equator than 40. 



With the flat fishes the order is reversed. Their 

 headquarters are no longer near the Arctic Circle, 

 but in the Mediterranean. They enter the North 

 Sea through the Channel. The sole is perhaps the 

 most southernly type, and the first to fail. It 

 abounds off the coast of Devonshire. It is still 

 caught in small numbers by line , as far north as 

 Northumberland ; but falls off rapidly after passing 

 the Scottish Border. It is represented by a few 

 scattered individuals along the east coast; and 

 recent experiments, with a view to increasing the 

 number, have as yet led to no result. It never 

 reaches Iceland. 



The turbot somewhat overlaps these limits. So 

 does the brill. 



Plaice and common dab (Pleuronectes limandd) 



