GENERA AND SPECIES. 137 



165. lutea, SOLENETTE. Pectorals 5 on one side, 3 on the other ; 

 caudal 19. Stone grey, with blotches ; fins wkh 

 occasional black rays. 



This genus has the eyes on the right-hand side. The Sole has 

 from 73 to 97 rays in the dorsal, 61 to 74 in the anal, 16 in the 

 caudal, 7 in the pectorals, and 5 or 6 in the ventrals. The dorsal 

 begins on the snout in front of the eyes ; the pectoral on the upper 

 side has a black spot at its outer end. The snout projects; the 

 front edge of the head is curved ; the jaws are larger on the lower 

 side ; the teeth are small, and only present on the blind side. There 

 are 160 scales in the lateral line, which is straight. The colour is 

 brown, with rows of black blotches along the bases of the fins and 

 the middle of the dark side. The length may be as much as 18 

 inches, but few large soles are taken in these days. The Sole is a 

 night-feeding fish, frequenting sandy or gravelly ground in compara- 

 tively shallow water, feeding mostly on molluscs, crustaceans, and 

 worms. 



The Sand Sole, otherwise the French Sole, and perhaps the 

 original Lemon Sole, has from 70 to 89 rays in its dorsal, 67 to 71 in 

 its anal, 15 in its caudal, 10 in its pectorals, and 5 in its ventrals. 

 The dorsal begins at the end of the snout. The dorsal and anal are 

 joined by a membrane to the caudal. The nostril on the lower side 

 is enlarged and fringed on its outer edge. There are from 130 to 

 140 scales in the lateral line. The scales are larger than in the 

 common sole. The colour is yellowish brown, with black spots and 

 gold specks. The length does not exceed 14 inches. It frequents 

 sandy ground in rather deeper water than No. 162, from which it 

 differs in the points mentioned, and also in having smaller eyes, the 

 upper eye nearer the snout, and the mouth further under. 



Ths Thickback has from 65 to 74 rays in the dorsal, 55 to 58 

 in the anal, and 15 in the caudal ; in the right pectoral there are 

 4 or 5 rays, in the left only 2 or 3, and in the ventrals there are 5. 

 The dorsal and anal do not reach the base of the tail. The pec- 

 torals are very small, the left being almost rudimentary. The 

 mouth is nearer the snout than in Nos. 162 and 163, and is straighter. 

 The lateral line has from 85 to 90 scales, and is nearly straight. 

 The colour is reddish, with brown bands across, which become 

 black as they run on to the fins. In length this species does not 

 exceed 9 inches. 



The Solenette is never more than 5 inches long. It has from 65 

 to 73 rays in its dorsal, 50 to 63 in its anal, 19 in its caudal, 5 in its 

 right pectoral, 3 in its left pectoral, and 5 in its ventrals. The dorsal 

 and anal have a few scattered black rays. The scales are rather 

 large ; there are 72 in the lateral line. In colour it is generally pale 

 greyish yellow, with rounded spots. It is not used as food. 



Syngnathus. Plate xv. SYNGNATHID& 



115. acus, GREATER PIPE-FISH. Caudal ridge continuous with dorsal 

 ridge. 



The dorsal stands upon 10 or 1 1 rings, about halfway along the 

 back. It has from 40 to 44 rays ; there is no anal fin ; the caudal 

 has from 3 to 10 rays, the pectorals have 13, and the ventrals 3. 



K 



