366 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



The essential characters are : lateral line much arched 

 over the pectorals ; dorsal and anal fins rough to the touch ; 

 pectoral, ventral, and caudal fins, smooth ; back rough when 

 the hand is passed from tail to head. Head, lateral line, 

 and base of the dorsal and anal fins, without tubercles. 



This species of flat fish is found to frequent most of the 

 sandy banks throughout the British coasts, but is not. of so 

 common occurrence as either the Plaise or Mud-Flounder. 

 There are few fish of the kind which surpass it in flavour, 

 particularly when taken in the months of February and 

 March, and it even rivals the sole in delicacy. In the Firth 

 of Forth numbers are caught with long lines baited with 

 mussels, and they are frequently found with other flounders 

 entangled in the salmon-nets at Musselburgh and Queens- 

 ferry. They delight in shallow water in preference to the 

 deep, and are seldom seen in rocky situations, or at the 

 mouths of fresh-water rivers. They spawn in the months 

 of April and May, and are then, and for two months after- 

 wards, of little value for the table, the flesh being at that 

 period soft, and ill flavoured. Crustacea and small fishes 

 appear to be their principal food. I obtained a specimen 

 of fifteen inches in length in Edinburgh in the month of 

 March ; one of eight or nine inches is considered the ave- 

 rage size. 



Platessa microcephalia.* — The Smooth Dab. 



Specific Characters. — Upper surface smooth ; head without tuber- 



£, c l es > t eetn deficient on the eye side ; jaws equal. (Plate XXXVIII.) 



Description. — From a large specimen eighteen inches in length. 



Head small, about one-sixth of the whole length, caudal included ; 



breadth of the body less than half its length. Colour of the upper 



surface yellowish-brown mottled with brown of a darker shade ; mar- 



•" *gin of the gill-cover orange-yellow ; belly pure white. Dorsal fin 



mA 



* Platessa microcephalics, Flem., Yarr. Pleuronecles lavis, Penn. Pleu- 

 ronectes microcephalics, Donn. Lemon Dab, Smear Dab, Sandfleuk, Mary- 

 '->% sole, Town Dab. 



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