26 ANACANTHINI. 



Gen. p. 17, no. 1, Spec. p. 57, no. 1, Synon. p. 30, no. 1 ; Gronov. Zooph. no. 

 246. Passer, spec. Klein, Pise. Mss. iv, p. 34, no. 6, t. vii, f. 3. Passer Bellonii, 

 Willughby. p. 96, t. F. 3 ; Rutty, co. Dublin, 1772, p. 350. Plaise, Pennant, Brit. 

 Zool. (Ed. 1776) iii, p. 228, and (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 304. Carrelet ou Garreau, 

 Duhamel, Peches, is, p. 264, pi. v, f. 1, 2, and Pli, 1. c. p. 265, pi. v, f. 3. The Plaice, 

 Low, Faun. Oread, p. 212. 



Pleuronectes platessa, Linn. Syst. Wat. i, p. 456 ; Bloch, Fiscne Deuts. ii, p. 31, 

 t. xlii; Gmel. Linn. p. 1228 ; Bl. Schn. p. 144 ; Bonn. Ency. Ich. p. 74 ; Lacep. 

 iv, p. 628 ; Donovan, Brit. Fish, i, pi. vi ; Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 297, pi. xliii ; 

 Quensel, Vet. Akad. Handl. 1806, p. 211 ; Turton, Brit. Fauna, p. 96 ; Pallas, 

 Zoogr. Ross. -As. iii, p. 423 ; Faber, Fische Isl. p. 135, and Isis, 1828, p. 865 ; 

 Nilss. Skand. Faun, iv, p. 612 ; Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 302 ; Gronov. ed. Gray, 

 p. 87 ; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 440 ; Schlegel, Dier. Ned. p. 166, pi. xvi, f. 1 ; 

 Ogilby, Zool. 1876, p. 4755 ; Mcintosh, Fish. St. Andrew's, p. 180 ; Collett, 

 Norges Fiske, p. 144 ; Malm, p. 525 ; Winther, Ich. Dan. Mar. p. 39 ; Giglioli, 

 Pesc. Ital. p. 38. 



Platessa vulgaris, Fleming, Brit. An. p. 198 ; Gotts. Wiegm. Arch. 1835, 

 p. 134 ; Fleming, p. 198 ; Jenyns, Manual, p. 454 ; Tarrell, Brit. Fish. (Ed. 1) ii, 

 p. 209, c. fig. (Ed. 2) ii, p. 297 (Ed. 3) i, p. 605 ; Parnell, Wern. Mem. vii, p. 361, 

 t. xxxvi, and Fish. Firth of Forth, p. 201, t. 37 ; Gottsche, Wiegm. Arch. 1835, 

 p. 140 ; Kroyer, Dan. Fiske, ii, p. 347, c. fig. ; Templeton, Mag. Nat. Hist (2) 

 1837, i, p. 411 ; Bonap. Catal. p. 403, and Pesc. Eur. 48 ; Johnston, Berwick. 

 Nat. Club, 1838, i, p. 174 ; Thompson, Nat. Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 192 ; White, 

 Catal. p. 98 ; Moreau, Poiss. France, iii, p. 291. 



Plaice, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 181, pi. clxix. 



B. vii, D. 66-77, P. 10-11, Y. 6, A. 50-57, C. 17-18, Vert. 14/29, Coec. pyl. 2 

 (3-1). 



Length of head 4|, of caudal fin 5|, height of body 2| in the total length. 

 Eyes — on the right side, the lower one-fourth to half in advance of the upper, nearly 

 1 diameter from the end of the snout, while the two are divided by a narrow, 

 smooth, ridge. During life they are much elevated. Lower jaw in advance of 

 the upper with a knob at symphysis : the length of the maxilla equals that of the 

 orbit, while it reaches posteriorly to beneath the first third of the eye. The 

 anterior nostril tubular : the posterior oval and patent. The interorbital ridge is 

 continued as several rough tubercles to the lateral-line. Teeth— compressed and 

 truncated at their summits, 20 to 24 in the upper jaw on the blind side, those on 

 the other side being few and smaller ; those in lower jaw similar to those in the 

 upper. Gill-rakers few, short, and widely set. Fins — the dorsal commences 

 above the middle of the eye, and ceases a little before the base of the caudal fin, 

 the interspace being less than the depth of the free portion of the tail below it : 

 the 35th to the 38th ray the longest, and more than half as long as the head. 

 The pectorals on both sides of equal length and 2/5 that of the head. Caudal 

 rounded. A spine directed forwards is situated just before the base of the anal 

 fin. Scales — from 90 to 100 rows, cycloid ; some on cheeks, none between the eyes. 

 None along bases of dorsal and anal fins. Lateral-line — slightly curved above 

 the pectoral fin, the extent of the depth of which is less than the length of 

 the pectoral fin : the greatest depth between its straight portion and the anal fin 

 is less than the length of the head. Intestines — two short coecal appendages ; the 

 length of the intestinal tract, in a specimen eight inches long, from the pylorus 

 to the vent was 7 inches. Colours — of a chestnut or rich brown on the right side, 

 covered with large orange and sometimes black-edged spots. 



Varieties. — Buckland mentions a variety destitute of spots. Reversed examples 

 are not rare, piebald ones common. These fish rapidly assume the colour of the 

 ground on which they are residing. Canestrini considers Pleuronectes italicus, 

 Giinther, to be this species. 



Names. — Plaice, diamond plaice, Sussex, from its lozenge-shaped spots. Plash 

 fletiTc, Moray Firth. Page or /acq, Anglo-Saxon. De schol, Dutch. La Plie 

 Franche ou Carrelet, French. 



