THE ROD IN SALT WATER 387 



the temperature of the water to fall much below 45 F., 

 they are more plentiful in the English Channel than 

 farther north, but they are to be found all round the 

 Scotch coasts, and the absence of a fishery on the west 

 side is not their fault, but that of the fishermen. 



There are several kinds of flatfish which give the 

 angler sport plaice, dabs, and flounders are the chief. 

 The plaice is known by its red spots, the dab by its 

 rough scales, and the flounder by its dark markings and 

 a few rough scales along the curved " lateral line." All 

 three feed on the sand, where they may be caught with 

 fine tackle and small hooks baited with sandworms or 

 mussel. Two of the larger flatfish, turbot and halibut, 

 are also occasionally caught by amateur fishermen. 

 Turbot occur in the more southern waters of Britain and 

 rarely exceed 25 Ib. They have rough scales on the 

 dark or upper side, and feed on small fish or shellfish. 

 Halibut (which in many parts of Scotland are known as 

 " turbot ") grow to a weight of 200 or 300 Ib., and are 

 caught by sportsmen at several places on the Irish coast, 

 notably at Ballycotton. 



The gurnards, also ground-feeders, are easily recog- 

 nised by their grotesque heads, as well as, in some of 

 the kinds, by their brilliant colouring, with various com- 

 binations of blue and scarlet that make them, with the 

 wrasses, the smartest fish of our seas, which do not 

 favour such gay attire as those of the tropics. Properly 

 cooked, the gurnards are good table fish, but he is an 

 emotional sportsman who can find much pleasure in 



