PLAICE. 
395 
fins are without spots. The iris is silvery white, with a 
narrow brassy ring round the dark blue pupil; but this 
ring usually vanishes some time after the death of the fish. 
Reversed specimens of the Plaice, as of the other 
Flatfishes, occur sometimes, though not very often, with 
the eyes and the colour on the left side. We may also 
meet with double specimens, with both sides coloured 
and sometimes with the characteristic row of bony pro- 
tuberances repeated on the blind side of the head, or 
albinos, entirely or partly white or golden like Goldfish, 
but with handsome orange spots (Mobius and Heincke)". 
The Plaice occurs along the whole west coast of 
Europe, from the extreme north down to the south of 
France. As appears too, from the list of synonyms, 
we can find no specific difference between the Plaice 
and the form from Alaska and Kamchatka described 
by Pallas under the name of Pleuronectes quadri- 
tuberculatus and by Steindachner under that of Pleuro- 
nectes Pallasii. A young Plaice from the White Sea 
(fig. 109) corresponds, as far as Ave can judge, exactly 
to this form, Avith the only exception that in Stein- 
daciiner’s figure, and also in a specimen taken by the 
Vega Expedition in Port Clarence, the body is narroAver 
behind. Thus, the Plaice seems also to occur in the 
basin of the Pacific. South of France Ave have no re- 
corded instance of its occurrence in the Atlantic * * 6 ; but 
according to Giglioli, Professor Trots found two spe- 
cimens in the fish-market of Venice, a circumstance 
Avhich apparently sIioavs its occurrence in the Adriatic. 
It also enters the Baltic. We have learnt from the lips 
of Baron G. C. Cederstrom that it is caught some- 
times, though extremely seldom, in the seine, oft’ Ingaro 
in the island-belt of Stockholm. According to Lind- 
strom (1. c.) it is occasionally taken in summer on the 
coast of Gothland. According to Seidlitz c it is in- 
cluded by Kawall among the fishes of Courland; but 
the statement is considered doubtful, as well as Fischer’s 
account of its occurrence in the Gulf of Finland. In 
the south and Avest of the Baltic it is not uncommon, 
and still less so in the Sound and the Cattegat. “No- 
Avhere in Danish Avaters within the Skaw is the Plaice 
entirely wanting,” says Winther, “but there is a con- 
siderable difference in the frequency of its occurrence 
at different spots, OAving to certain peculiarities in its 
manner of life. It spaAvns at the end of Avinter or 
early in spring, at a depth of three or four fathoms. 
During summer the Plaice retire sloAvly from the spaAvn-^ 
ing-places to deeper Avater, and during the greater part 
of the year they remain at a depth of 15 or 16 fa- 
thoms, Avhere they pass the Avinter. If a piece of water 
does not possess sufficiently Avide stretches of this depth, 
but only contains small holes or consists chiefly of 
patches of shalloAver Avater, here and in the adjoining 
Fig. 109. Young Plaice from Archangel, forwarded to the Royal 
Museum by Lieut. H. Sandeberg (= Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus , 
Pallas; Pleur. Giersii, Sandeberg). a and b, natural size; c, the 
mouth, opened and magn. about 6 diam., to show the pointed jaw- 
teeth of young specimens. 
shalloAvs the Plaice is ahvays of rare occurrence, as for 
example in the extensive reach of Avater along the 
north coast of Funen.” 
•» 
In the Cattegat the Plaice is fairly common. Off 
Anholt, between February and August, 1885, 45,456 
kgrm. of Plaice Avere taken by the fishermen from 
Hornbnek (Zealand) alone d . The entire catch of the 
a A specimen of this variety, lemon-yellow, clouded with a darker colour at the middle of the body and on the eye side of the jaws, 
was caught on the west coast of Jutland iu February, 1890, and sent to the Royal Museum by Mr. 0. Fredericksen of Copenhagen. 
6 Benecke ( Handbuch d. Fiscliz. u. Fischer , Max v. d. Borne — p. 113) states, though without giving any authority for his state 
ment, that the Plaice occurs as far south as the coast of Portugal. 
c . Fauna baltica, p. 118. 
d Dansk Fiskeriselskabs Medlemsblad, 1886, p. 24. 
