PLEURONECTID^E. 45 



p. 405, and Nat. Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 206 ; Yarrell, Brit. Pish. (ed. 2) ii, p. 355, 

 c. fig. (ed. 3) i, p. 666 (not PI. linguatula, Linn.). 



Solea lingiila, Jenyns, Man. Brit. Vert. p. 468 ; Thompson, Proc. Z. S. 1837, 

 p. 58, and Nat. Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 206. 



Pleuronectes trichodactylus, Naccari, Ich. Adri. p. 11. 



Monochirus luteus, Costa, Faun. Nap. ii, p. 49 ; Bonap. Catal. no. 428 ; Moreau, 

 Poiss. Prance, iii, p. 316, c. fig. 



Synaptura lingula, Kaup, Wiegm. Arch. 1858, p. 97. 



Solea lutea, Bonap. Faun. Ital. Peso. c. fig. ; Canest. Arch. Zool. i, p. 32, tav. 

 3, f. 4, Fauna Ital. p. 167 ; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 469 ; Steind. loh. Span. u. Port. 

 1868, p. 60. 



MonocMr linguatula, Swainson, Fish, ii, p. 303 ; White, Catal. p. 107. 



Solea minuta, Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 470 ; Mcintosh, Pish. St. Andrew's, p. 180 ; 

 Steind. Ich. Span. u. Port. 1868, p. 61. 



Solonette, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 207, pi. clxxix. 



B. viii, D. 65-72, P. r. 5, 1. 3, Y. 5, A. 50-56, C. 19, L. 1. 72. 



Length of head 4^ to 4f , of caudal fin 6 to 6|, height of body 3j in the total 

 length. Byes — on the I'ight side, rather close together, the upper being one-third 

 in advance of the lower. Cleft of mouth extends to beneath the middle of the 

 lower eye. Anterior nostril tubular. Teeth — pointed and minute. Fins — Dorsal 

 commences on the snout before the upper eye and ceases close to 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 very short, its upper ray twice as long as the 

 others, left pectoral still more minute. Ventral rays two-thirds as long as the 

 first few of the anal fin, which latter terminates similarly to the dorsal. Caudal 

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

 Lateral-line — nearly straight. Colours — right side of a stone gray covered with 

 numerous small brown or dark spots, also three or four rows of moderately sized 

 dark blotches placed very wide asunder, but sometimes entirely wanting. Dorsal 

 and anal fins colourless, but every here and there a ray (from the fourth to the 

 seventh) quite black, portions of others also dark, and some dark spots along the 

 bases of these fins. Caudal spotted. Pectoral with a black blotch in its centre. 



Some of the specimens described by more than one author as belonging to this 

 species, appear to be small examples of the " variegated sole.'' 



Varieties. — If the colours shown in Couch's figure are correct, are the 

 proportions such as he copied from nature ? I think he must have had some 

 other species under his eye than S. minuta. 



Names.— Little sole : Bed sole. Le Microchire Jaiine, 'Fvendh. 



Habits. — Appear to resemble those of the " variegated sole." 



Means of capture. — Trawling. 



Uses. — Parfitt observes (Fauna of Devon, p. 28), " sometimes taken in large 

 numbers in the trawl nets : but as they are of no use for the market they are 

 thrown again into the sea." 



Habitat. — From the shores of Great Britain and Ireland to those of France 

 and through the Mediterranean. Off Banffshire it is more common than the 

 "lemon sole" (Edward): common at St. Andrew's (Mcintosh). Reputed to 

 have been taken at Whitby (Yorkshire Vertebrata) : common at Weymouth 

 (P. Gosse) : Mr. Cornish records (Zool. 1873, p. 3697) capturing a star-fish in 

 August, holding one of these fishes, three inches in length, in its feelers. An 

 example was captured in November, 1880, ten miles at sea off Mevagissey, and 

 sent to me by Mr. Dunn. 



In Ireland it is taken on the N.E., E., S. and West coasts. Ball obtained it 

 in Dublin : McCoy observed (Ann. and Mag. 1841, vi, p. 408) that he found it 

 tolerably abundant in the Bay between the lightship and the harbour : McCalla 

 took it in county Down, and Thompson mentions three dredged off Dundrum in 

 the same county. 



The example figured, life size, came from Mevagissey : the largest specimen I 

 have obtained is 4j inches in length, but it is said to reach to 5 inches. 



