WHIFF. 
451 
fin-rays are covered with scales for a greater or less 
part of their length on the eye side of the body; but 
this covering grows gradually narrower in front, the 
caudal rays and the posterior rays of the dorsal and 
anal fins being scaly to the very tip, but the anterior 
rays of the last two fins, as well as the pectoral and 
ventral rays, only half-way up, or only at the base, or 
even, in front, entirely naked. The same rule applies 
to the blind side, but here the scales disappear still 
more rapidly, the pectoral and ventral fins of this side 
being naked. 
The lateral line proper runs upwards from the 
temporal region (the posttemporal bone), but soon takes 
a slightly curved, horizontal direction for a distance 
about equal to the postorbital length of the head, and 
then bends down rather suddenly to the middle of the 
side, running straight back from this point along the 
middle of the side out over the caudal fin. In the 
course of the lateral line the Whiff is thus most like 
the Brill, though the bend is still more elongated, with 
more marked steps. The change which is caused by 
growth in the pectoral fins, and which we have men- 
tioned above, here gives rise to the character by which 
Couch proposed to distinguish between Lepidorhombus 
megastoma — somewhat younger, with relatively longer 
pectoral fins, the tip of the pectoral fin of the eye side 
extending to the end of the curved part of the lateral 
line — and L. velivolans — the largest specimens, in 
which the length of the pectoral fin, even on the eye 
side of the body, is less than that of the curved part 
of the lateral line. 
The internal organs are like those of Bothus; but 
the stomach is still more saccate, and at the end of 
the pyloric part, which rises along the front side of 
its bottom, are attached two middle-sized appendages, 
curved in a downward direction. 
Malm, who had seen fresh specimens of the Whiff, 
describes the coloration as follows: “The left side of 
the body is throughout of a light reddish, clayey gray", 
with 9 blackish shadings on the dorsal fin and 6 on 
the anal, the posterior ones being darkest. The caudal 
fin has two similar markings at the end of its first 
third, and three, one above another, at the middle of 
its length, these two series forming as it were trans- 
a v. Duben and Koren write, “light yellowish brown, with a 
b Synopsis Piscium , fig. 2. 
c Traite des Peches, part. 2 (tom. Ill), sect. IX, tab. VI, fig 
<l Richardson and Couch, 11. cc. 
verse bands. Here and there on the body, especially 
behind the middle, we find blackish collections of streaks, 
these being caused by the brownish black colour of the 
hind margins of the scales at these spots. The pectoral 
fin is of the same colour as the body, with the excep- 
tion of the last ray, which is white and opalescent. 
The eyes are yellowish brown above, yellowish white 
below. The pupil is bluish black. The iris is marked 
with a small, lemon-coloured ring next the pupil. At 
the top the iris forms a broad, rounded lobe, which 
encroaches upon the pupil, and is twice as large in the 
right eye as in the left. The right side of the body 
is entirely white.” 
The true habitat of the Whiff seems to lie round 
the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland and further 
south; it is said to be rare in the Mediterranean. Still, 
it is of frequent occurrence on the Norwegian coast up 
to Trondhjem Fjord, and has once, on the 20th of 
April, 1868, been found within the Skaw (Malm). It 
has long been known: even Jago sent to Ray 6 an easily 
recognisable figure of a Whiff, and Duhamei/ figured 
it under the name of UmandeUe oh grande calimande. 
Owing to the thinness of its body, however, it has never 
excited the fisherman’s interest, and we thus know but 
little of its manner of life. It is also strictly a deep- 
sea fish, as indicated by the large eyes. One of the 
specimens in the Royal Museum was taken N.N.W. of 
Bergen, at a depth of between 100 and 200 fathoms. 
Like many other fishes of this nature, however, it is 
occasionally borne to the surface in a helpless condi- 
tion. Its appearance on these occasions has given it 
the name of Sail Fluke, conferred upon it by the fisher- 
men of the Orkneys, who believe that in winter the 
Whiff ascends in calm weather to the surface, and by 
elevating the caudal fin turns it into a kind of sail. 
Frequently, however, it drifts ashore, and then hastens 
to hide itself in the sand, unless some keen-eyed gull 
seizes it at once, tears out the liver, which seems to 
be a delicacy, and then bears off the fish to some lonely 
cliff to be eaten at leisure' 7 . It is said to be most 
common on the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall, 
where it ascends so near shore on a sandy bottom that 
it is taken both in the trawl and with hook and line. 
The specimen obtained from the Skaw by Malm was 
light violet lustre.” 
6. 
