268 UTILITARIAN ZOOLOGY 



haddock. It ranges from the Arctic Ocean as far as Gibraltar 

 on the east of the North Atlantic, but only to Newfoundland on 

 the west. It is mostly fished in the northern parts of the North 

 Sea, and around the shores of the Orkneys, Shetlands, and Faroe 

 Islands. 



The Hake (Merluccius vulgaris\ Like the last-named species 

 this is a rapacious fish of large size. Its range is similar to that 

 of the cod, except that it is found throughout the Mediterranean, 

 and is most abundant on the southern shores of Britain. Like 

 most large forms it is somewhat coarse, and not greatly esteemed 

 as food, though hake steaks are not to be despised. 



THE FLAT-FISH FAMILY (PLEURONECTIB^:). These are car- 

 nivorous ground-fishes of great economic importance, especially 

 in the north temperate region, and for delicacy of flavour some 

 of the species are unrivalled. The valuable British forms which 

 deserve notice are Turbot and Brill, with eyes on the left side; 

 and Sole, Plaice, Flounder, Dab, and Lemon Dab, in which the 

 eyes are on the right side. All these species lay buoyant eggs. 

 Trawling is by far the most important method of capture, after 

 which comes line-fishing. 



The Turbot (Rhombus maximus). This is the most esteemed 

 of the larger flat-fishes, and may attain a weight of over 20 Ibs. 

 It is a shallow -water form, and ranges from the Black Sea, 

 through the Mediterranean, up the eastern coast of the North 

 Atlantic as far as Denmark and South Scotland. Bony tubercles 

 are imbedded in the skin of the left side. In accordance with 

 the fact that the turbot is highly predaceous, feeding upon other 

 fishes, its mouth is larger than in most members of the family. 



The Brill (R. lavis). Except in its smaller size, and the 

 absence of tubercles on the skin, this species resembles the 

 turbot in appearance, mode of feeding, and distribution. 



The other flat-fishes to be noticed here all have the eyes on 

 the right side of the body and (except the Halibut) have small 

 mouths, adapted to feeding on worms and other small creatures. 



The Halibut (Hippoglossus vulgaris). This is the largest of 

 all flat-fishes, and is said to sometimes reach the length of 20 

 feet, while individuals of 6 or 7 feet long are often caught 

 in British seas. A 7-foot halibut weighs somewhere about 300 

 pounds or rather more. It is a decidedly northern species, and 

 appears to range right round the southern shores of the Arctic 



