PLEURONECTIDiB. 43 



As food. — It is not in request for the table, being tasteless and wanting in 

 firmness, but is occasionally slipped in amongst such as have been prepared for 

 filletting at the fishmongers. 



Habitat. — From the shores of Great Britain and Ireland, through the 

 Mediterranean, and is found ofi' Nice and Naples (Giglioli). Rare in Banffshire 

 (Edward) : Northumberland : resident and not uncommon in Yorkshire 

 (Yorkshire Vertebrata) : found ofE Sussex. Occasional in Devonshire (Parfitt) : 

 I have seen large numbers from Torbay : Weymouth two examples (Gosse, Zool. 

 1854) : rare ia Cornwall (Cornish) : off Somersetshire (Baker) : occasionally 

 taken in the weirs at Swansea (Dillwyn). 



In Ireland numerous examples were captured from one place ofE Galway in 



It attains to 14 inches in length (Buckland) ; the one figured was from 

 Brixham, and measures 85 inches. 



B. Pectoral fins on hoth sides very small. 

 Solea variegata, Plate CVIII, fig. 1. 



Pole panachee, Duham. iii, sect. 9, p. 259, pi. ii, f. 3. 



Pleuronectes variegatus, Donovan, Brit. Pishes, 1801, pi. cxvii. 



Pleicronectes microchirus, Delaroche, An. Mus. xiii, 1809, p. 356, f. 2. 



MonucMr microchir, Cuv. Regne Anim. ; Guichen. Exp. Sc. Algeria, p. 107. 



Pleuronectes mangili, Risso, Ich. Nice, 1810, p. 310. 



Pleuronectes lingula, Hanmer in Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 313, 

 pi. xlviii. 



Bhomhus mangili, Risso, Eur. Merid. iii, p. 255. 



Pleuronectes fasciatus, Nardo Naccari, Giorn. Pis. Pav. iii, Adr. Itt. p. 9. 



Solea mangili, Bonap. Faun. Ital. Pesc. iii, p. 27, c. fig. ; Canest. Arch. 

 Zool. i, p. 29, tav. iii, f. 3, Fauna d'ltal. p. 166. 



Solea lingula, Jenyns, Manual, p. 468. 



Monochirus lingula, Costa, Faun. Nap. ii, p. 50. 



Monochirus variegatus, Thompson, An. Nat. Hist, ii, p. 404, and Nat. Hist. 

 Ireland, iv, pp. 207-211 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (ed. 1) ii, p. 262, c. fig. (ed. 2) ii, 

 p. 353, c. fig. (ed. 3) i, p. 664. 



Microchirus lingula, Bonap. Pesc. Eur. p. 50, no. 429. 



Monoohir variegatus. White, Catal. p. 106. 



Solea variegata, Flem. Brit. An. p. 197 ; Scouler, Mag. Nat. Hist. vi. (1833) 

 p. 530; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 469; Steind. Ich. Span. u. Port. 1868, p. 60; 

 Giglioli, Pesc. Ital. p. 39. 



Microchirus variegatus, Moreau, Poiss. France, iii, p. 317. 



Variegated sole. Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 203, pi. clxxvii. 



B. vii, D. 65-74, P. r. 4-5, 1. 2-3, V. 5, A. 55-58, C. 15, L. 1. 85-90, Vert. 10/30. 



Length of head 5-^ to 5^, of caudal fin 6^ to 7, height of body 3^ to 3^ in the 

 total length. Eyes — on the right side, scarcely half a diameter apart, and 1 

 diameter from the end of the snout. The upper eye one-half in advance of the 

 lower : interorbital space scaled, anterior nostril tubular. Teeth — very minute. 

 Fins — dorsal commences above the front edge of the upper eye, and nearly 

 reaches the base of the caudal fin, its rays are branched and the highest are 

 opposite the middle of the length of the body. Right pectoral fin very short, 

 not equalling the length of the orbit : left pectoral still more minute. Ventral 

 not attached to anal, which latter fin terminates similarly to the dorsal. Caudal 

 somewhat rounded at its extremity. Scales — ctenoid extending on to the fin rays. 

 Lateral-line — nearly straight. Free portion of the tail about three times as high 

 as long. Colours — of a rich chestnut brown with six or seven vertical dark bands 

 which are a little more than one-third the width of the interspace between each. 

 These bands become broken up with advancing age, but may even be seen in large 

 specimens mostly as dark marks at the bases of and passing on to the dorsal and 



