aADEANS AND PLEUKONECTS. 359 



but though thus stigmatized in England, the Green- 

 landers, according to Crantz^ often subsist for a conside- 

 rable period almost exclusively on its ilesh, which is cut 

 into slips, and dried in the sun: the Norwegians and 

 Icelanders also largely salt and barr'el it for home con- 

 sumption. As few fish when hooked offer a more deter- 

 mined resistance, plunge more furiously, or struggle 

 longer for life than a full-sized holibut, the fishermen 

 employ very strong tackle, and even then are often not a 

 little put to it to haul him safe on board. 



Having thus summarily disposed of the coarser plaice, 

 flounders, dabs, and holibut, with all of which the 

 ancients were happily unacquainted, we come to three 

 much more delicate flats, those princely pleuronecte — 

 turbots, brills, and soles. 



The first (rhombus* maximus) was so weU known to 

 the ancients, that to cite aU the passages where the 

 mention of it occurs would be tedious, and might give 

 our readers a fish surfeit, which we should be sorry to 

 have on our conscience. It was held by the two rival 

 representatives and exponents of taste in civilized man 

 in as high favour as it now is with us : ' nothing to a 

 tuxbot ' was a Greek sentiment as well as a Roman pro- 

 verb, and 



Th' iintasted turbot shows his tempting flank, 



was no doubt eitherf a poetic license intended by Ho- 

 race to be received as a pleasantry. The common Greek 

 names for it were ■x/riJrTa and po/iySo?, as we read in 



* This genus includes, besides the E.. maximus or turbot pro- 

 per, the brill (R. laevis), the kitt (R. punetatus, Blooh), the whiff" 

 (R. oardina. Cut.), and two very small Mediterranean species, E. 

 nudus, which is only two inches long, and E. candidissimus, a still 

 smaller species, and quite transparent. 



■f Ingustata mihi porrexerat iha rhombi. — Sar. 



