94 



THE OCEAN. 



eye of the turbot-fisher, with his powers sharpened 

 by interest, fails to detect a fish when thus con- 

 cealed ; and he is obliged to have recourse to another 

 sense, tracing lines upon the mud with an iron- 

 pointed pole, that the touch may discover the latent 

 fish. In the structure of the head, again, there is 

 a peculiar and very remarkable provision for the 



TURBOT-BOAT OFF SCARBOROUGH. 



wants of the creature. If the eyes were placed as 

 in all other animals, one on each side of the head, 

 it is plain that the Flat-fishes, habitually grovelling 

 in the manner described, would he deprived of the 

 sight of one eye, which being always buried in the 

 mud, would be, quite useless. To meet this diffi- 

 culty, the spine is distorted, taking, near the head, 

 a sudden twist to one side ; and thus the two eyes 



