6o8 



THE OCEAN WORLD. 



both stretching out to a point towards the centre, giving a rhombic 

 form to the fish. The jaws are furnished with a single row of obtuse 

 teeth. 



The Common Plaice, P. vulgaris (Fig. 3 88), attains the length of 

 twelve or eighteen inches ; it is brown above, spotted with red or 

 orange. On the eye-side of the head are some osseous tubercles. 

 The body, which is somewhat lozenge-shaped, is smooth. 



The Flounders {P. €csus) are fresh-water fishes of small size, 



Fig. 388. — The Common Plaice (Platessa vulgaris) 



abundant in the Thames and many other rivers ; these flounders 

 and plaice are only second in importance to the soles and turbot 

 among the Pleuronectidae ; the numbers of brill, flounders, dab, and 

 plaice required being close upon a hundred million for the yearly 

 supply of London alone. 



The usual mode of capturing flat-fish is by means of a trawl-net, 

 but many species of them may be caught with a hand-line. " A day's 

 sea-fishing." says Dr. Bertram, in his " Harvest of the Sea," " will 

 be chequered by many little adventures. There are various minor 

 monsters of the deep that will vary the monotony of the day by oc- 

 casionally devouring the bait. A tadpole fish, better known as the 

 sea-devil, or angler, may be hooked ; or a visit from a hammer-headed 



