THE DAB. . 71 



that its fumes may advertise his business and invite the workman to supper as he journeys home. 

 There is a curious story told by LacepMe, which Couch quotes, concerning the common belief that 

 Shrimps are the parents of Plaice. He states that Dr. Deslandes, having placed several Shrimps 

 in an aquarium, found, after about twelve or thirteen days, that the vessel also contained eight or 

 nine little Plaice. Afterwards, putting female Plaice in a vessel in which they shed their spawn, 

 and putting in another vessel Shrimps, he obtained young Plaice only in the vessel which con- 

 tained the Shrimps. He then found that grains of the roe of the Plaice were attached to the under- 

 side of these Crustacea. This case is probably exceptional. It is well known that the eggs of all 

 fishes, when shed, are contained in a glutinous covering, by which they become attached, and it 

 would seem that the Shrimps, which feed on fish-eggs, sometimes get them adherent to their own 

 bodies, and thus carry them about till they are hatched. Plaice have been caught weighing fifteen 

 pounds ; a specimen has been mentioned two feet long. Tli3 general size is about three pounds, and 

 seven or eight pounds is an unusual weight. Yarrell states that on one occasion the glut of 

 Plaice in Billingsgate market was so great that quantities of fish averaging three pounds each were 

 sold at a penny a dozen, and one salesman, who possessed a hundred bushels, offered them at fifty for 

 fourpence, and afterwards for anything he could get. As it was impossible to sell them, they were 

 divided among the poor by direction of the Lord Mayor. Fishermen can generally detect, from the 

 appearance of the fish, the locality from which it is taken. The species inhabits sandy banks, and 

 sometimes occurs on mud banks. On the flat sands of the Solway Firth the fishermen and their 

 families wade into the water with bare feet ; when they tread on a fish it is held firmly till secxired by 

 the hand and placed in a basket. In the North of Europe, according to Yarrell, where the water is. 

 clear and the bottom rocky, it is captured with a heavy short spear with two barbs, to which a line is. 

 attached, which is dropped upon the fish from a boat so as to transfix it. In East Friesland the 

 Plaice thrives well in fresh-water ponds in which it has been introduced. Plaice spawn in the 

 early spring, and are considered to be in the best condition by the end of May. They are sometimes 

 taken with the line and sometimes with the trawl. The height of the body is about one-half the 

 length, exclusive of the tail ; the scales are minute and smooth ; six blunt bony tubercles extend 

 from the eye to the origin of the lateral line. The lateral line curves a little above the pectoral 

 fin ; the lower jaw is prominent. The upper jaw has about twenty-four narrow teeth close set on 

 the lower side. On the upper side the teeth are few and small. The dorsal fin contains about 

 seventy rays. There is a spine in front of the anal fin. The colour varies from brown to black 

 with yellow spots. 



THE DAB, OR SALTIE, OR SALT-WATER FLUKE.* 



The Dab is met with all round the coasts of Britain, and ranges northward to Ireland, and 

 round the northern coasts of Europe, but does not reach farther south than the coast of Franca It 

 is rarely more than a foot long, has an oval form, is met with in smooth, sandy bays, and feeds on- 

 small shell-fish, worms, and Crustacea, and is in best condition in March or April. It bears carriage- 

 well, so that it is valued in the interior of France above similar fishes, and there is no doubt that its. 

 flavour is better than that of the Plaice or Flounder. It often takes the hook, but is sometimes 

 caught in the seine net and sometimes in the trawl. The height of the body is nearly one-half its 

 length; the small scales have the margin ciliated; there are no tubercles along the lateral line or at the 

 base of the fins. The lateral line forms a semicircular arch above the pectoral fin, beyond which it 

 runs straight. There are twenty-two close-set lanceolate teeth on the lower side of the lower jaw. 



The Smear Dab (Pleuronectes microcephalus) is called by Yarrell the Lemon Dab, or Smooth 

 Dab. It is a larger and thicker fish than the Common Dab, and is taken in the North of Scotland 

 more abundantly than southward, and is essentially a northern fish, ranging to Iceland and the 

 Scandinavian coast. It spawns in May and June, feeds on similar animals to the Common Dab, 

 but is said also to feed on Chitons. It does not readily take a bait, and is usually caught in the 

 trawl ; its flesh is said to be sweet-flavoured. Couch records specimens seventeen inches long. The 

 scales are small, with the margins unbroken. The lateral line has a very slight curvature above the 

 pectoral fin. There is no prominent spine in front of the anal fin. There are sometimes darker 

 mavblings on the brownish upper surface. 



* Pleuronectcs limanda. 



