POLE-FLOUNDER. 
381 
longer on the eye side than on the blind side. In the 
pectoral tins the two or three uppermost rays and the 
lowest ray of all are undivided; in the ventral tins at 
least the first (outermost) ray is undivided or only in- 
distinctly branched. The caudal tin, the length of 
which, measured at the middle, is from 13 to 16 % of 
that of the body, is rounded or obtusely pointed at 
the hind margin. It contains between 14 and 16“ 
branched rays and an inconstant number (3 — 5 on each 
side) of supporting rays. 
The scaly covering of the body is abundant and 
compact, but thin, consisting of imbricated, cycloid 6 
scales, which are rather small on the forepart of the 
body, but fairly large posteriorly and on the caudal 
tin". The scales of the blind side are generally some- 
what smaller than those of the eye side. The only 
scaleless parts are the snout and the under jaw (at least 
the greater part thereof), the branchiostegal membranes, 
the inner surface of the paired fins, and the tops of the 
rays in these fins as well as in the dorsal and anal fins. 
Kuoyer’s estimate of the scales of the lateral line is 
“more than 120;” Goode and Bean counted between 
109 and 150 transverse rows of scales on the blind side 
and between 110 and 140 on the eye side. The lateral 
line is straight, and fairly closely follows the middle 
of the sides, or sometimes, according to Goode and 
Bean, forms a distinct curve on the abdominal part, 
above the pectoral fins <; . 
The abdominal cavity proper is small®, but contains 
the whole of the intestinal canal with the exception of 
one coil, which, together with the elongated spleen, passes 
into- 7 the secondary abdominal cavity of the eye side, 
where it lies upon the upper part of the sexual organs. 
Two well-developed pyloric appendages, the length of 
which is greater than the 'width of the stomach and in- 
testine, are set behind the pylorus, which lies at the lower 
posterior corner of the abdominal cavity. The intestine is 
sharply divided from the stomach, and has much thinner 
walls than the latter. The liver seems to vary consider- 
ably in size 17 . In this species too, however, it covers the 
greater portion of the intestines. On the blind side the 
peritoneum is white or clouded with black, on the eye 
side black, which latter colour also extends over the 
anterior part of the secondary abdominal cavity of the 
eye side. This cavity, as well as that of the blind side, 
is of a considerable length 6 in the females, the length 
of each of these cavities, in which the ovaries are con- 
tained, being only slightly less than half the length of 
the body. The number of the eggs is very consider- 
able 1 . The testes of the males probably do not attain 
so great a size as the ovaries. In two males (one taken 
in March, the other at an unspecified time of year) the 
testes are not even so large a.s the liver, and in shape 
only slightly more elongated than an equilateral tri- 
angle; and it is only on the eye side that the secondary 
abdominal cavity is somewhat elongated, to receive the 
coil of the intestine 7 . The vent is situated at about 
the middle of the length of the pectoral fins when 
folded, or somewhat further forward. 
The coloration of the Pole is variable like that of 
the other Flatfishes. The original of our figure, a fe- 
male 445 mm. long, which was taken by Mr. C. A. 
Hansson in Starekil off Stromstad, on the 21st of Ja- 
nuary, 1888, was of a light grayish russet on the eye 
side, with streaks of a darker colour, when it reached the 
Royal Museum. On the right side of the vertical fins 
and on the right ventral fin this colour shaded into 
grayish violet, but in the anterior part of the dorsal 
a In one specimen from Halifax (N. S.) 19 branched rays, 3 supporting rays above and 2 below. 
b According to Day the scales on the eye side of the body are “feebl} r ctenoid.” Faber seems also to have met with similar speci- 
mens. Cf. Gottsche, 1. c. 
c In a specimen 470 mm. long the largest scales (on the tail) of the eye side are about 6 (A, mm. long, while the scales on the fore- 
part of the body (on the back above the pectoral fin of the eye side) are about 2 1 /., mm. long. In a specimen 516 mm. in length the 
largest scales are 7 1 / .> mm. long. 
d This also applies to the specimen from Halifax which the Royal Museum has received from the Smithsonian Institution. 
e In a female 470 mm. long its length is 40 mm. and its depth 60 mm. 
* In the female just mentioned the coil of the intestine extends into this secondary abdominal cavity for a distance of 37 mm. 
,J Kroyer describes it as rather small; but in the above female the liver occupies 45 mm. of the depth of the abdominal cavity, and 
in a male 411 mm. long, in which the abdominal cavity is 38 mm. long and 42 mm. deep, the liver occupies 26 mm. of this depth — in 
each case on the left side. 
h In the female just mentioned the left ovary is" 198 mm. long, and its tip extends to a point only 62 mm. distant from the end of 
the anal fin; the right ovary is 231 mm. long, and its tip is only 48 mm. distant from the end of the anal fin. 
i In ovaries so large the eggs were rather small, their diameter being only 1 / 2 mm. According to Thompson, however, the eggs of 
this species may attain a diameter of l 3 /. rnm. 
J In one of the above males, 411 mm. in length, the secondary abdominal cavity of the eye side is 41 mm. long, and in a male 
516 mm. in length (from Halifax) it is 97 mm. long. 
