42 



lying between them. The Monterey, or "bastard" halibut, as it is 

 sometimes called, may be known from our other Pleuronectidse by its 

 short head; elongate, regularly ovate form; small scales, with a row 

 of long, narrow accessory scales along their free margin; and by the 

 bold, abrupt arch made by the lateral line above the pectoral fins. 

 In numbers it is not common compared with the two previously- 

 mentioned species, but makes up in bulk during the months it is in 

 season. Throughout the winter and early spring it is scarce, but 

 large individuals become tolerably abundant in April, and through- 

 out the summer the young are sometimes sold as "turbot." Those 

 brought to market usually come from Monterey or its vicinity, but 

 it also occurs northwards, at least as far as Tomales Bay, and south- 

 wards to San Diego, whence Girard's type was procured. 



CitharicJdliys sordldus, Giinther; PsetticJdhys sordidus, Girard, Left- 

 handed Flounder — This species is brought in considerable numbers 

 to the markets of San Francisco, and can be readily distinguished 

 from every other kind occurring on this part of the coast by the 

 combined characters of eyes and color on the left side, lateral line 

 almost perfectly straight, bony, ridge-like interocular space, and 

 insertion of the ventral fin of the colored side upon the ridge of the 

 abdomen, instead of on the same level with that of the blind side. 

 As is the case with many other species, the number of rays in the 

 dorsal and anal fins is not constant. In color this fish is of a dirty 

 yellow or yellowish-brown, with each scale margined with blackish 

 and the fins speckled with the same. The scales are smooth and 

 very flexible. As the dealers do not appear to have given it any 

 title, I have here named it by its most obvious characteristic, namely, 

 the presence of the eyes and color on the left side; not that it is the 

 only species possessing this character, but because, so far as I have 

 been able to observe, it is constant in possessing it, while the Mon- 

 terey halibut and the species usually known here as the " flounder " 

 {Platichthys stellatus) are sometimes dextral, but in other cases sinis- 

 tral. The left-handed flounder does not usually attain the dimen- 

 sions of any of the previously described species, the usual length of 

 those brought to market being only from ten to twelve inches. It is 

 not taken within the Bay of San Francisco. How far its range 

 extends either northward or southward I do not know, but in the 

 latter direction it certainly reaches to San Diego, as a dried speci- 

 men, sent to the Smithsonian Institution by Dr. J. G. Cooper, fur- 

 nished Professor Gill with the type of his new genus, Metoponops. 



Glyptocephalus zachirus (Lockington, Proceedings United States 

 National Museum, September, 1879, p. 83) — This hitherto unnoticed 

 species of flounder owes its specific name to the great length of the pec- 

 toral fin of the right or colored side of the body. This fin is much 

 longer than the head and about equal to one-fourth of the total length 

 of the fish, but it can scarcely be of much value to locomotion, as only 

 one or two rays are thus excessively lengthened, the others falling 

 off rapidly on each side. This character alone is sufficient to distin- 

 guish it, not only from its nearest relation on this coast, Glyj^tocejyh- 

 alus pacificiis, hereafter mentioned, but from every other species of 

 flounder, and it is further characterized by the blunt, rounded form 

 of the front part of the head, a character not shared to anything 

 like an equal extent by any other of our flat-fishes. It also diflers 

 from its congener in the presence of a spine in front of the anal fin. 

 The color, like that of many other of our fishes, is rather diflicult to 



