458 



VERTEBKATA. 



to rra»'h tpiito siicli fjipintic (liincnsions; Varrill mentions one that weighed one hundred and 

 niuotv pouiids, and nu'iisurt'd six fcft across. One is spoken of in tlie history of Rome as having 

 been taken in the time of the Kinperor Doiiiitian, of such huge size tliat tlie senate were con- 

 vi>ked to deciik- upon the proper mode of hriiiging it to tlie table. Juvenal says, 



" No vessel tliey find fit to hold such a fish, 

 And the senate's convoked to decree a new dish." 



These fisii are causxht cither l>y means of hooks and lines or by the trawl-net; the former 

 nu>tlu)d is employed during the wanner months of the year. The species most esteemed in Eng- 

 land arc the Tnrhot and the Sole, which are not found in American waters; but several others, 

 altliouiih inferior in the quality of their flesh, are of great importance, as they are caught in 

 such numbers that they can be sold at a very cheap rate. Of these the best known are the Plaice, 

 the Brill, and tlio Flounder. 



All the ricaronect'ulce are inhabitants of the sea, although they sometimes ascend the brackish 

 waters of tidal rivers ; and the Flounder even appears capable of thriving in perfectly fresh water. 

 They are rather voracious fishes; and, in spite of their singular form, are often very active in 

 their habits. 



C'c^rt.s- RIlOMBrS: Rhombus — Pleuronectes of De Kay. To this belongs the Tcrbot, i?. 

 inaximus, connnon in Ev.ropean waters, and regarded in England as one of the richest and best 

 of fishes; it feeds on small fish, Crustacea, and shell-fish; seeks sandy ground, and is a great 

 wanderer, usually in companies; the common size is five to ten pounds. The English and 

 Dutch fisheries for turbots are very extensive ; the season begins in April or May and ceases in 

 August. Tn the early part of the season the trawl-net is used, which brings up not only turbots, 

 but soles, plaice, thornbacks, <fec. When the weather is warm the fishermen resort to the hook 

 and line. The hooks are baited with the common smelt. The value of the turbot annually 

 imported into Great Britain from Holland is said by Yarrell to be four hundred thousand dollars ; 

 the Danes are said by the same authority to supply sauce for these fishes at a cost of seventy 

 tliousand dollars, this sauce being extracted from a million of lobsters cauo-ht on the coast of 

 Norway. These supplies are in addition to the products of the immense fisheries of the British 

 themselves. 



It has been stated that a species of turbot has been occasionally taken in Boston harbor, but 

 this does not seem to be well established. Under the generic head of Pleuronectes Dr. De Kay 

 mentions a single species, as follows, though denying the existence of the well-known Euro- 

 pean turbot in the American waters: the Spotted Turbot, P. maculatus, twelve to eighteen 



inches long, called Watery Flounder 

 by Dr. Mitchill, and sometimes Sand- 

 Flounder among fishermen. It is deli- 

 cate food, and has been known to 

 weigh twenty pounds. 

 ... -,^.^ "~™:^^^^^^^^^K ^-^ "-^ The Brill, R. vulgaris, is found 



^^'^^' ^B^^^^^^K Ss^^^^^^ from six to twelve pounds, and is 



taken in large numbers on the Brit- 

 ish as well as Dutch coasts. It bears 

 the various popular names of Pearl, 

 Kite, Brett, »fec. Its flesh is much 

 inferior to that of the turbot. 



Muller's Topknot, R. hirtus, seven 

 or eight inches long, is common on the 

 British coasts. 

 Block's Topkxot, R. punctatus, is similar to the preceding, though much less abundant. 

 The Whiff, R. viegastoma, is twelve to twenty-four inches long, and is very thin ; it is not 

 greatly esteemed for the table. Common on the British and Dutch coasts, and is called Carter 

 by the Cornish fishermen. 



