ON THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA. 149 



Illustration. Page. 



173. "ACHIRUS FASCIATUS." 948 2700 



American Sole; " The species is best known of American Soles. 



Hog Choker. Head 4 in body ; depth 14. D. 50 to 55 ; A. 37 



to 46 ; scales 66 to 75 ; eye 7 in head ; height of dorsal and anal 

 nearly 2; caudal 1^. Body broad, regularly elliptical; mouth 

 moderate, reaching just past front of lower eye ; right lower lip 

 fringed ; eyes very small, the upper one in advance of the lower ; nos- 

 tril ending in a wide tube, nearer lower eye than tip of snout ; inter- 

 orbital space with scales, more than y 2 eye ; head and body scaled 

 with strongly ctenoid scales, none of them with hair-like appendages ; 

 lateral line nearly straight ; gill opening short, about twice as long as 

 maxillary. Origin of dorsal on tip of snout ; last few rays of dorsal 

 and anal rapidly decreasing, giving the fins a truncate appearance 

 posteriorly ; pectorals wholly wanting ; caudal rounded. Color, 

 dusky olive, more or less mottled, and with about 8 dark, vertical 

 stripes, these varying very much in width and in number ; vertical 

 fins with the membrane of every second or third pair of rays blackish, 

 besides dark cloudings at base of fin ; caudal with numerous longitu- 

 dinally oblong spots ; blind side often with round, dark spots, especi- 

 ally in northern specimens, usually immaculate in southern ones (var. 

 browni). Vertebrae 8 + 20= 28." 



„ „ Weight to 10 pounds : average about 2 



Flounders and Soles. ° l ° 



pounds. Caught with rod and reel, cut bait. 

 Do not take bait readily. 2% hook, No. 6 line. Are taken in Hali- 

 fax and Hillsboro rivers, at night. Sharpen a stick, carry a lantern 

 along the shores, in 6 inches to 2 feet water, and spear the fish with 

 the stick. Large numbers are caught at Ponce Park when wanted. 

 The Soles and Flounders are of same family. Edible, B. 



