THE TRANSPARENT SOLE. 30I 



sea. Sometimes the Soles venture into the mouths of rivers, passing about four or 

 five miles into the fresh water, and depositing their multitudinous eggs in such localities. 

 The color of the Sole is almost always brown on the right side and white on the left, 

 but examples of reversed Soles are not uncommon, where the left side is brown and 

 the other is white. The scales are small, and give a rough, rasp-like sensation to the 

 hand. The dimensions of this fish are very variable, an average specimen weighing 

 about a pound or eighteen ounces. Much larger examples, however occur occasion- 

 ally, and Mr. Yarrel mentions one instance where a Sole measured twenty-six inches 

 in length, eleven and a half inches in width, and weighed nine pounds. 



ZEBRA SOLE. So/ea zebriaa. 



The ZEBRA SOLE is a native of Japanese waters, and is remarkable for the waving 

 dark streaks with which its body is covered, and which bear a great resemblance to 

 the stripes upon the zebra's hide. In habits it appears to resemble the common species. 



SEVERAL species of Sole are found upon the British coast. The LEMON SOLE or 

 FRENCH SOLE (Solea peguso), derives the former of these titles from the lemon-yellow 

 color of its upper surface, and the latter from the localities in which it is most com- 

 monly found. It is found generally about sixteen miles off our coasts. The color of 

 this fish is orange, mixed with light brown, and mottled with little round spots of wood- 

 brown. It is wider in proportion to its length than the common Sole. Another species, 

 the VARIEGATED SOLE (Solea variegatd), is sometimes, though rarely, taken off our shores. 

 It may be known by the reddish brown color, clouded with dark brown. The body is 

 rather thick in proportion to its length. 



The last British species is the SOLENETTE, or LITTLE SOLE (Monochirus lingudtulus) 

 a small species, seldom more than five inches long, and of a reddish brown color, with- 

 out cloudings. 



PERHAPS the most remarkable of these fishes is the TRANSPARENT SOLE (AMrus 

 pelh'itidus). 



This rare and interesting fish is a native of the Pacific Ocean, and is notable for the 

 extreme pellucidity of its body, which is so marvellously transparent, that when swim- 

 ming in a vase of water, or lying on the bottom, the algae or stones can be distinctly 



