Mr. Thompson on Fishes neiv to Ireland. 1 7 



p. 459 — in some of these it is contained but 3^, in others 4 

 and 4|^ times, and this is not owing to difference of size in in- 

 dividuals ; in the female specimen, which is of the largest 

 size, the dorsal fin is rather lower compared with breadth of 

 body than in the others. In the individual examined by Mr. 

 Jenyns, the ventral fins are described to have equalled the 

 pectorals in length, but in all these the latter are considerably 

 longer, in some being one-third, in others one-fourth longer 

 than the ventrals. With Mr. YarrelFs description they gene- 

 rally agree. 



The colour of the upper side of these six specimens is one 

 uniform tint, intermediate between the "yellowish brown" 

 and " wood brown" of Syme's ' Nomenclature of Colours.* 

 The fins are all merely of a darker shade, owing to the mem- 

 brane being minutely spotted with a deeper bi'own ; the hinder 

 portion of the upper half of the P. fin is black, thus resem- 

 bling this fin in all the British species of sole ; " the edges of 

 all the fins darker than the rest," as described by Mr. Yarrell ; 

 the under side of the three larger is pure white, of the three 

 smaller white also, but closely dotted over with extremely mi- 

 nute black spots, which, without close examination, give to 

 this portion the appearance of soiled white ; pupil purplish 

 black ; irides silvery, in some of them tinged with gold. 



On dissection, five of these individuals exhibited milt, and 

 one of them roe ; the ova of a very small size, and the milt 

 not much developed. Excepting the stomach of one, which 

 Mas empty, they all contained a few fragments of ^olen pellu- 

 cidus or minutus ; in addition to this shell, three of them exhi- 

 bited the remains ofOphiurce; one, besides the Solen and Ophi- 

 urce, presented some Crustacea ; and another, in addition to the 

 Solen, the remains of marine worms, apparently Planarice. 



On May 5, 1837, I obtained a seventh specimen of P. 

 Pola, which, like the others, was taken by trawling, at Ard- 

 glass. It was 12^ inches long, and exhibited milt moderately 

 developed. Its stomach contained fragments of Solen pellu- 

 cidus, and a specimen of Bulla lignaria. 



Sole A Lingula, Rond.*, Red-backed Sole. — On the 23rd 



* Solea parva sive Lingula, Rondeletius; see liis figure of " la petite sole," 

 p. 260; also Willughby's figure and description, p. 102, F. 8, fig. 1. 



Ann. Nat. Hist. \o\.2. l>lo.7. Sept. 1838. c 



