﻿FISHES. 
  

  

  247 
  

  

  Pleuronectes 
  microcephalus, 
  Donovan. 
  "Smear 
  Dab." 
  

   "Lemon 
  Dab." 
  Lemon 
  Sole. 
  "Sand 
  Fluke." 
  "Mary 
  

   Sole." 
  "Town 
  Dab." 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  Smooth 
  Dab 
  is 
  not 
  by 
  any 
  means 
  a 
  common 
  fish 
  in 
  

   the 
  Firth 
  of 
  Forth. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Two 
  or 
  three 
  seasons 
  sometimes 
  

   pass 
  when 
  not 
  half-a-dozen 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   Edinburgh 
  Market." 
  (Parnell.) 
  "Not 
  often 
  met 
  with 
  at 
  

   Banff." 
  (Edward.) 
  " 
  Common 
  at 
  St. 
  Andrews." 
  (M'Intosh.) 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  trawl 
  fishing 
  began 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  coast, 
  the 
  

   Lemon 
  Sole, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  called, 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  abundant 
  species, 
  

   and 
  large 
  numbers 
  are 
  brought 
  into 
  Aberdeen 
  Market. 
  

  

  Pleuronectes 
  cynoglossus, 
  Linn. 
  "Pole." 
  "Craig 
  Fluke" 
  

   "Witch 
  Sole." 
  "Pole 
  Dab." 
  Long 
  Flounder. 
  

  

  " 
  This 
  fish 
  was 
  first 
  recorded 
  as 
  new 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  Fauna 
  

   in 
  the 
  Edinburgh 
  Neiu 
  Philosophical 
  Journal 
  for 
  1835. 
  The 
  only 
  

   locality 
  then 
  known 
  for 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  Firth 
  of 
  Forth. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   Since 
  the 
  time 
  I 
  first 
  discovered 
  it, 
  I 
  have 
  obtained 
  fifteen 
  

   specimens." 
  (Parnell.) 
  " 
  Under 
  the 
  name 
  Pleuronectes 
  Buchan- 
  

   havenensis, 
  Arbuthnot 
  gives 
  notice 
  of 
  a 
  fish 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  

   Cynoglossus. 
  Not 
  often 
  met 
  with." 
  (Edward.) 
  

  

  For 
  twenty 
  years 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  trawling 
  

   along 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  I 
  had 
  only 
  seen 
  three 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  ; 
  but 
  since 
  trawling 
  became 
  a 
  common 
  

   mode 
  of 
  fishing 
  it 
  has 
  proved 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  Witch 
  Sole 
  " 
  is 
  quite 
  

   an 
  abundant 
  species 
  — 
  so 
  much 
  so, 
  that 
  a 
  trough 
  that 
  runs 
  

   from 
  near 
  Rosehearty 
  to 
  opposite 
  Tarbet 
  Ness 
  is 
  now 
  

   known 
  as 
  the 
  "Witch 
  Ground." 
  This 
  hollow 
  runs 
  about 
  

   parallel 
  with 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth 
  coast, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  distant 
  

   from 
  six 
  to 
  ten 
  miles. 
  

  

  When 
  this 
  fish 
  was 
  first 
  brought 
  to 
  market 
  it 
  was 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  find 
  buyers 
  for 
  it, 
  being, 
  as 
  it 
  looks, 
  a 
  thin 
  fleshless-like 
  

   animal. 
  It 
  was, 
  however, 
  soon 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  fish 
  of 
  excellent 
  

   quality, 
  and 
  now 
  finds 
  a 
  ready 
  sale. 
  This 
  species 
  very 
  rarely 
  

   takes 
  a 
  bait. 
  

  

  Pleuronectes 
  limanda, 
  Linn. 
  "Sattie." 
  "Dab." 
  

  

  Abundant, 
  and 
  caught 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  by 
  line 
  and 
  trawl. 
  

  

  