25 



doubtless to some extent, hinders the development of this branch of 

 business. The North Pacific Canning Company can some halibut at 

 Klawack, Prince of Wales Island, and it is said to be of good quality. 



The endeavor to bring fresh halibut to ►San Francisco from Puget 

 Sound does dot appear to have been financially successful. A 

 schooner load suddenly brought into a market already fully stocked 

 with fish caused the price to fall to about ten cents per pound, and 

 much of it could not be disposed of at that price. 



Professor Jordan mentions a large halibut bank near Cape Flattery, 

 and states that considerable numbers are taken with liook and line 

 in the deeper channels of Paget Sound, north of which point it 

 comes more abundant. It feeds upon large fishes, such as codfish. 



Hippoglossoides jordani. Large-eyed Flounder — It appears strange 

 that this common species should have escaped the notice of nat- 

 uralists until last year. In the markets of San Francisco it 

 abounds throughout every month of the year, and in Monterey 

 Bay is the most abundant of its tribe. Professor Jordan informs 

 me that about 500 })Ounds weight of this fish are taken daily at 

 Monterey alone by the Chinese, besides large quantities taken by 

 the Italians. An examination of the stock in trade of the Chinese 

 located near Monterey, proved that over nineteen-twentieths of the 

 fish that dry on hurdles and flap in the wind around the hovels con- 

 sisted of this fish; a few sharks, with PsettichtJiys melanostidus and 

 Citharichthys sordidiis constituting the remainder. 



It occasionally reaches sixteen inches or more in length, and a 

 weight of five pounds, and is considered one of the best of its tribe, but 

 is inferior to tiie black-dotted flounder, the turbot, and one or two 

 others. It becomes rare northward, yet occurs in Puget Sound ; south 

 of Monterey it is not on record. 



Hipjjoglossoides exilis, Large-scaled Flounder — This species is 

 readily distinguished from the preceding by its much more slender 

 form, and by the large size .of the scales, which are very delicately 

 ciliate on their hinder edge. The eyes are very large, their longi- 

 tudinal diameter contained about ol times in the length of the head. 

 The greatest depth is contained about 82 times in the total lengtli. 



In July it was tolerably common in the markets of San Fran- 

 cisco, and its previous rarity is probably occasioned by the fact that 

 it is only taken in tolerably deep water, and is too small to be con- 

 sidered of much value. 



The specimens I have seen were from eight to ten inches in length, 

 and three quarters of a pound in weight. It occurs in Puget Sound, 

 but is not very common. 



Hipjwglossoides elassodon — Unlike the two preceding species, this 

 has only a single row of small teeth in the upper jaw. The scales 

 are small, so that it can readily be distinguished from H. exilis, while 

 from H. jordani it differs externally in the more strongly ciliated 

 scales, and slightly more anterior origin of the dorsal fin. 



The example in Mus. Cal. Ac. Sci. was taken by Professor Jordan at 

 Seattle, at which port and at Tacoma he reports it as tolerably 

 abundant. It reaches a length of one foot, and a weight of about two 

 pounds. 



Atheresthes stomias, the Hook-toothed Flounder — Isolated examt)les 

 of this species, of fifteen to eigliteen inches in length, have several 

 times occurred in the markets of San Francisco during this year, but 

 do not appear to have been noticed previouslj^ 

 4- 



