FISHES. 43 



monly one foot long, and weigh two pounds ; their skins 

 are without scales, and slimy, like the eel; marbled 

 black and yellow; the heads are broad and frog-like. 

 They are the only fishes of the Gadoides, that ascend 

 rivers into fresh waters, where they hide in holes and 

 under stones, lying in wait for their prey, which they 

 find in small fish or water insects. Winter is their 

 spawning time ; the young grow very rapidly ; are by 

 no means tender, and very tenacious of life ; can be kept 

 alive in troughs of fresh water, if fed on the viscera of 

 animals. The flesh is white, has but few bones, and is 

 very palatable. 



The most remarkable of this order are the Pleuro- 

 nectes, which comprises what are called Flat fishes, and 

 have the body very much compressed laterally, and pro- 

 portionally elevated vertically ; never swim perpendicu- 

 larly, but always on one side. Both eyes are placed on 

 one side; the nostrils on the opposite; they have no 

 swimming-bladder, therefore they mostly lie on the bot- 

 tom. They feed on snails, crabs, and worms. 



The principal of this family is 



The Turbot (pleuronectes maximus) is about eight 

 feet long, and weighs two pounds ; brown, marbled with 

 yellow. The manner of fishing for turbot is either by 

 spearing the creature, as it is seen lying on the bottom, 

 or with hooks baited with lampreys. The flesh is very 

 good. 



The Flounders (pleuronectes flesus) are over a foot 

 in length, greenish-yellow and black, are found in the 

 northern and eastern seas, and often come into the neigh- 

 borhood of large rivers, where they bury themselves up 

 to the head in sand. They are hardy, and will bear a 

 transportation of many miles without injury. 



