PLAICE. 211 



piebald appearance would have rendered them conspicuous 

 objects to all their enemies. When near the ground, they 

 swim slowly, maintaining their horizontal position ; and the 

 smaller pectoral and ventral fins on the under side are advan- 

 tageous where there is so much less room for their action, 

 than with the larger fins that are above. When suddenly 

 disturbed, they sometimes make a rapid shoot, changing their 

 position from horizontal to vertical : if the observer happens 

 to be opposite the white side, they may be seen to pass with 

 the rapidity and flash of a meteor ; but they soon sink down, 

 resuming their previous motionless, horizontal position, and 

 are then distinguished with difficulty, owing to their great 

 similarity in colour to the surface on which they rest. 



Though the appearance and situation of the eyes and 

 mouth seem to indicate a degree of deformity, yet the head 

 contains modifications of all the bones that are found in a 

 symmetrically-formed head. The vent is situated very far 

 forward between the ventral fins and the commencement of 

 the anal fin ; but the abdominal cavity, though circum- 

 scribed, extends backwards to a considerable distance, the 

 intestine returning by a convolution. 



Most of the Flatfishes are deservedly in great request as 

 articles of food. The number of species diminishes as the 

 degrees of northern latitude increase. In this country we 

 have sixteen species ; at the parallel of Jutland, Denmark, 

 and the islands at the mouth of the Baltic, there are thir- 

 teen ; on the coast of Norway they are reduced to ten spe- 

 cies ; at Iceland the number is but five, and at Greenland 

 only three. 



The Plaice is described and figured by Rondeletius, and 

 was known to the older naturalists long before his time. 

 It inhabits sandy banks and muddy grounds in the sea; and 

 among the Orkney islands is caught by lines and hooks ; 



