SOLE, MACKEREL, CHUB. 155 



THE SOLE. 



THIS is one of the most delicate of our British fishes, and 

 is common on all our coasts, whence it is sometimes called 

 the queen of the sea ; those on the western shores, however, 

 attain the largest size. They usually keep much at the 

 bottom of the deep, .where they feed on small shell-fish, 

 and are drawn up with the hawl-net. 



The irides of the sole are yellow ; the pupils of a bright 

 saphirine colour ; and the scale small and very rough. 

 The upper part of the body is of a deep brown hue, and 

 the under part is white. The lateral line is straight, and 

 the tail rounded at the extremity. 



Though the flesh is delicious and white, that of the mid- 

 dling sized fishes is by far the best. The chief fishery for 

 soles is at Brixham, in Torbay. By an ancient law of the 

 Cinque Ports, no one was to take them from the first of 

 November to the fifteenth of March, neither were they to 

 be molested from sun-rising to sun-setting, that they might 

 enjoy their night-food. 



THE MACKEREL. 



The nose of this fish is taper and sharp pointed : the 

 body is slightly compressed on the sides, but towards the 

 tail grows very slender, and somewhat angular. The colour 

 of the back, and sides above the lateral line, is a fine green 

 varied with blue, interspersed with black lines pointing 

 downwards ; and beneath the line, the sides and belly are 

 silvery. In short, the mackerel is a most beautiful fish 

 when alive, and all its colours are brilliant ; but no sooner 

 is it removed from its native element, than its lustre begins 

 to fade. 



THE CHUB. 



THE chub is a very coarse fish, and extremely full of 

 bones. The body is oblong, rather round, and the head is 

 short and thick. The upper part is of a dusky green colour, 

 the sides are silvery, and the belly is white. 



