256 PLEURONECTID.E. 



SUBBRACHIAL 



MALACOPTERYGIl. PLEURONECTW^. 



.^^•^"■^i-^w, 



">:>* ' 





A. -■ 



THE SOLE. 



Solea vulgaris, La Sole, Cuvier, Regne An. t. ii. p. 342. 



.. ,, A Sole, Merrett, Pinax, p. 187. 



Buglossus seu Solea, Sole, Willughby, p. 100, F. 7. 



Pleuronectes Solea, ,, LiNNaius. Block, pt. ii. pi. 45. 



„ „ ,, Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. iii. p. 311. 



„ ,, Common Sole, Don. Brit. Fish. pi. 62. 



Solea vulgaris. Sole, Flem. Brit. An. p. 197, sp. 101. 



Generic Characters. — Both eyes and colour on thefright'side ; the mouth dis- 

 torted on the side opposite the eyes ; smalt teeth in both jaws, but confined to 

 the under side only, none on the same side as the eyes ; form of the body ob- 

 long J dorsal and anal fins extend to the tail. 



The common Sole is so universally known as to require 

 only a particular notice of those points in its economy that 

 are the least obvious. It inhabits the sandy shore all round 

 our coast, where it keeps close to the bottom, feeding on the 

 smaller testaceous animals, and the spawn and fry of other 

 fishes. It is taken among the Orkneys, and along the north- 

 east coast ; but it is of small comparative size : the Soles of 

 the south and west are much larger, and considered otherwise 

 superior to those of the north and east. 



The Sole is found northward as far as the Baltic and the 



