314 LIFE BY THE SEASHORE. 



dorsal and ventral fins. The colour of the upper surface is 

 remarkably like that of the sand and mud in which the fish 

 live, whereas in the plaice it is blotched with orange spots 

 on a brown ground; but the most obvious distinction 

 between the young lies in the fact that the plaice has 

 well-developed scales and the flounder only rudimentary 

 ones. As is well known, the flounder usually lies buried 

 in the sand, with only the mouth and protruding eyes 

 exposed. It is very voracious and will eat almost any kind 

 of animal food. Under the name of "flatties" flounders 

 are often captured by boys, either by spearing or by the 

 more primitive method of covering them with the bare feet 

 as they lie in the shallow sandy water. 



There are a considerable number of flounder-like forms, 

 all members of the genus Pleuronectes, which are apt to be 

 confused in common parlance; the name "dab" in itself and 

 its compounds being loosely applied to several species. It 

 is well, therefore, to expend a few pence in obtaining good- 

 sized specimens of the flounder (P. flesus), the plaice 

 (P. platessa), and the true dab (P. limanda\ so as to learn 

 once for all the notable distinctions between them. After- 

 wards the recognition of the young will be found easy 

 enough. 



