312 CLASSIFICATION OF FISHES. 



fiat upon the bottom of the sea, waiting in ambush for 



their prey. 



(260.) The flat fish^ besides the pecuharity in the 

 situation of their eyes, have some other characters of 

 a unique nature. The two sides of the mouth are not 

 symm-etrical ; and sometimes one of the pectorals is only 

 half the size of the other; and this inequality extends to 

 the bones of the cranium, but which, according to Cu- 

 vier, are the same, in other respects, as in ordinary fishes. 

 The general sameness in the external structure of these 

 fishes renders it very difficult, if not impossible, to 

 make out the principal types ; and therefore, as the 

 technical definitions of the genera will be given in the 

 synopsis, we shall here confine ourselves to a few general 

 remarks on the whole family. 



(261.) The geographic distribution of these fishes 

 is in almost all temperate and tropical seas ; but they 

 seem to diminish towards high northern and southern 

 latitudes. They are abundant with us, and very common 

 in the ^Mediterranean. The largest species, we believe, 

 that has yet been discovered, is the holibut (^Hippoglossus 

 vulgaris Cuv.), which is often seen suspended in the fish- 

 mongers' shops in London. On the coast of Norway this 

 fish often attains the weight of 5001b., and Mr. YarreU 

 mentions one that was taken near the Isle of Man and 

 sent to Edinburgh in 1828, which measured 7 ft. 6 in. 

 in length, and weighed 3201b. We know too little of 

 the foreign flat fish to say whether other species attain 

 to this size, but those on the Brazilian coast are of the 

 ordinary dimensions ; and the holibut is, we believe, 

 unknown in the Mediterranean. The turbot, as an 

 edible fish, is the most celebrated of all the numerous 

 species of the Atlantic. We cannot, however, coincide 

 in the behef that this delicious fish was known to the 

 Athenians ; for although the Pleuronectidcje, as a whole, 

 are common in the Grecian and Sicilian seas, we never 

 saw the turbot there, nor ever heard of its being captured. 

 A great deal of interesting information on the fishery of 

 this article of luxury has been given in Mr. Yarrell's 



