THE HERRING AND OTHER FISH 347 



in the way. Half a barrel of flatfish was taken out of the 

 stomach of a single halibut. 



This fish, though commanding good prices, does not form 

 a Labrador export, the banking fishery being carried on by 

 our American cousins. These come to us as early as April, 

 sail round the south end of the ice-floe, and so reach the 

 banks; or, if leaving in February, make straight for the 

 south coast of Greenland and try to get north by keeping 

 outside the two currents of drifting coast-ice. On one 

 occasion the skipper of a Boston vessel came to a hospital 

 before our harbour ice had all gone, and we gave him a 

 drive round on the ice with our dog-sleigh, as he had never 

 seen dogs travelling. The main impression on his mind 

 seemed to be "To think we had ripe strawberries before I 

 left home a fortnight ago !" 



In Europe and America the dab (Hippogloss&ides 

 limandoides) flourishes in both cold and warm waters. 

 In his youth he is a free-swimming, upright fish, but takes 

 to lying on one side on the bottom. He shows his adapt- 

 ability by causing the under eye to travel round over his 

 nose, as this eye would be useless looking down on the 

 ground. He has fine, shiny scales. In Dublin he is called 

 the smeareen, and is much eaten by the poorer classes. 

 On the New England coast he passes as the "mud dab," 

 but on his arrival in New York he further shows his adapt- 

 ability by assuming the name of the "American sole." 

 In Labrador he is classed with the "offal" and contempt- 

 uously thrown away. The dogs, however, appreciate his 

 qualities better, and one often in the spring sees a dog 

 wading about looking or feeling for the dab in the mud, 

 and then quickly diving down and bringing the struggling, 



