FISH AND FISHERIES. 77 
is generally taken by the hook, the closeness with which it adheres to the ground 
making it merely a chance taking it in theseine. It is a good fish, by many people 
esteemed considerably above its true merits. The other species, the “sole,” is an 
exquisitely delicious fish, equal if not superior to the Thames sole, but curiously 
enough is as much undervalued by the public generally as the flounder is the 
reverse. It is probable that this prejudice proceeds from bad cooking, as the 
“‘ chair” is of a very tough gelatinous character. The mode of capture is solely by 
spearing, as it is a fish which never takes the hook, and lies far too close to the 
.ground for the seine. The modus operandi is as follows :—Ona calm clear mornin, 
pass slowly in a boatover the shallow flats where they abound. The fish, alarme 
by the approach of the boat, seeks to hide itself in the mud. Asmallcloudis thus 
raised, and into the middle of this cloud the fishermen plunges his spear, and un- 
failingly secures his fish, Large numbers have been taken in this way in one 
morning at the mouth of Cook’s River, in Botany Bay. Thatand Lake Macquarie 
seem to be favourite haunts of this fish. Both species come to the flats inshore 
after midsummer, probably only from deeper flats and banks outside. They 
are then full of roe, and there can be little doubt that the spawn is deposited 
on the sandy flats on which the fishes are then found. The trawl net seems 
to be the most likely way of securing a regular supply of these most valuable 
fishes.—R.R.C, 
Some of the European soles spawn in the open sea, according to Mr. 
Holdsworth.* 
Pseudorhombus has a wide mouth, and teeth in both jaws of unequal 
size in a single series ; none on the vomerine and palatine bones ; eyes 
on left side, interorbital space not concave, dorsal fin commences on 
the snout ; scales, small ; lateral line with a strong anterior curve. This 
is generally a tropical genus. One species, which has been found in North 
Australia is yellowish brown with two or three spots on the lateral line. 
There is another species in Port Jackson, P. multimaculatus, Giinth., 
which is a greyish-brown with smaller and larger sub-ocellated blackish- 
brown spots ; fins, finely spotted with brown, a series-of larger distinct 
spots along the basal half of the dorsal and anal fins. 
We have also many other genera and species in Victoria. The sole is 
Rhombosolea bassensis, Cast., and the Flounder, 2. plesoides, Giinth. 
We have also in Port Jackson two species of the true sole, viz.,—Solea 
microcephala, Giinth., and S. macleayana, Ramsay. The genus Synaptura 
is peculiar to the Indian and Australian seas. It has the eyes on the 
right side, upper in advance of the lower, cleft of mouth narrow and 
twisted to the left side. Teeth minute, on blind side only, none on 
vomer or palate. Vertical fins confluent, scales smalf, ctenoid. Lateral 
line straight. “We have three species, and there are two others in the. 
tropics, one of which is the fresh-water species already referred to. 
The Sole. 
(Plate XXXIV.) 
S. nigra, Macleay, is black on the right side and the left yellowish 
white. The vertical fins are tipped with white. The scales are 
firm and hard, and their apices glassy-looking, with seven or eight 
acute points, those on the blind side like them but not so strongly 
armed. In the harbour it never attains a length of more than 10 inches, 
and about 6 wide (high). Mr. Macleay having tried some experiments 
with a trawl net obtained some of much larger size. He regards the 
fish as superior to the English sole. 
* See article ‘‘ Fisheries” in the ninth edition of the Encyclop. Brit. 
