PLEURONECTID^E. 31 



in adult examples. Lateral-line — with a slightly oblique descent above the pectoral 

 fin, from whence it proceeds direct to the centre of the base of the caudal : it has 

 a dorsal branch on the occiput. Gill-ralcers — short, spinate, and widely separated. 

 Concal-appendages — two, moderately developed. Colours — rigid side brown, with a 

 gray tint, being darkest about the head. A small blackish mark on the upper 

 half of the pectoral fin. Vertical fins of a grayish slate colour, the anterior 

 dorsal rays tipped with white. Left side white. 



Varieties. — Thompson, when examining large numbers of this species, found in 

 one lot the males, in another the females, almost exclusively prevailed : also that 

 the form of the body and the height of the dorsal and anal fins varied considerably 

 in both sexes. Yarrell described P. elongatus from a somewhat elongated specimen, 

 probably a skin, the height of the body in his figure being j of the total length : 

 Couch, who figured from a skin, shows the height of his specimen as about 3^ in 

 the total length : whereas mine is 3j from a fresh example. 



Names. — Pole or craig-flulce, pole-dab. White sole, county Down. La Plie 

 Cynoglosse, French. 



Habits. — Frequents sandy localities : in some years being much more common 

 than in others. Parnell found small crabs and star-fishes in the stomach of one 

 he examined. 



Means of capture. — The beam trawl. 



Breeding. — May and June. 



As food. — Is considered good by some, especially the French, who esteem 

 it to be equal to the sole. In Dublin it is looked upon as very inferior, and 

 Thompson remarks upon having had it dressed, when he found it a passably good 

 fish, but not at all flavoured like, nor equal to, the sole. 



Habitat. — It extends from the coasts of the North Sea around Great Britain 

 and Ireland to the shores of France. It is also found on the North American 

 coast (Goode and Bean). 



Mr. Peace records in Land and "Water that an example 19-*- inches long was 

 taken in Scalpa Bay, near Kirkwall, in May, 1880, and a day or two after another 

 and smaller one, the only ones he had ever heard of in that locality : Banff, rare 

 (Edsvard) : Aberdeen (Sini) : Firth of Forth, occasionally obtained during April, 

 May and June. Parnell secured fifteen examples : along the south coast the 

 same author recorded three examples from Brixham, from which locality I received 

 three on January 10th, 1880, and have seen many from there in May, 1881, and 

 also since that date. Mr. Dunn has sent it me from Mevagissey, where it is very 

 rare, and Mr. Comish considers it rare along the Cornish coast. I have also seen 

 a Plymouth example. Higgins obtained two at Weston-super-Mare, and Mr. 

 Baker two at Stolford, in Somersetshire. 



In Ireland it is found on the north-east, east, and south-west coasts. On April 

 26th, 1837, six examples, from 12 to 14§ inches long, were obtained by Thompson 

 at Belfast, and on March 25th, 1839, about 120 were brought in at one time to 

 the market at Newcastle. They had all been captured by trawling, and about 

 70 more were said to have been also taken, but this was a quite exceptional take. 

 On May 5th one was captured at Ardglass. 



The example figured is 9 inches long, and was obtained by Mr. Dunn at 

 Mevagissey, November 6th, 1879. It attains to at least 14 inches in length on 

 the British coast, and Thompson records one 16-| inches long from Ireland. 



B. Lateral-line strongly curved anteriorly. 

 4. Pleuronectes limanda, Plate CIV. 



Passer asper, Rondel, xi, c. 9, p. 319 ; Schonev. p. 61 ; Aldrov. ii, c. 46, p. 242 ; 

 Willughby, p. 97, t. F. 4 ; Ray, Syn. p. 32 ; Rutty, Nat. Hist. County of Dublin, i, 

 p. 350. Limanda, Belon. De Aquat. p. 145 ; Gesuer, pp. 665, 781. Pleuronectes, 

 sp. Artedi, Gen. p. 17, no. 2, Species, p. 58, no. 11, Synon. p. 33, no. 9. Sand- 



