THE SOLE. 
205 
Upper eye the larger, the socket from anterior to posterior being ]a 
inch, that of lower eye inch ; the ridge separating them is not pro- 
minent (see Yarr. p. 253, vol. ii.) though “ bony,” nor was it so in the 
specimen of 21st Oct. ; pupil blue, encircled with a narrow line of a silver 
colour tinged with gold. 
The arch at the anterior part of lateral line much more conspicuous than 
the straight line forming its base, and scales similar to those extending 
posteriorly from it in a straight line to the tail. 
Colour of entire upper side and fins greyish brown, with a few small 
dark brown markings, irregular in form and irregularly disposed over it ; 
though perhaps as numerous, these are much smaller than in Donovan’s 
plate, and more irregularly scattered. 
This specimen was called “ White Sole ” in the market. 
It proved a male on dissection. The stomach contained only a frag- 
ment of some shrimp-like crustacean. 
The Scald-fish, or Megrim, Pleuronectes Arnoglossus, Schn., 
Rhombus — Yarr ell. 
A specimen of this very rare fish was obtained by Mr. W. Todhunter 
on the Galway coast, in Sept., 1848. The specimen is in the Dublin 
University Museum. It has been taken on the coast of Cork. R. Rail. 
The Sole, Solea vulgaris, Cuv., 
Prevails around the Irish coast. On some banks where properly sought 
for it is obtained in large quantities, and of the finest quality. 
Dublin is generally well supplied with them ; Belfast not by any means 
so well — consequently they fetch fully as high, indeed generally higher 
prices here than in the London market. 
The sole of the North of Ireland vary considerably in form and colour, 
so that when commencing the study of our native fishes, I was, on two or 
three occasions, induced to purchase specimens so differing, for critical 
examination : they all proved to be merely S. vulgaris. 
In the general outline of the body some appertained as much to the 
form of the solenette (Yarr. Br. Fishes, vol. ii. p. 355) as the sole (p. 
347, same work), or in other words, some of equal length were consider- 
ably narrower and tapered more to the tail than others. 
In colour some were of the ordinary dark brown umber hue, as repre- 
sented by Donovan ; others much lighter, from the centre of each scale 
being yellowish. In some examples the ground colour is yellowish brown, 
varied by being marked all over with large and small roundish spots 
of dark brown. The largest and thickest examples, 20 inches in length 
and upwards, which I have seen in Belfast market, were of this light hue. 
In two specimens 11 inches in length, their greatest breadth (exclusive 
of A. and 1). fins) was less by an inch than 1 to 3 of the entire length. 
The fin-rays of these specimens differed in number. In one of 13 inches 
the breadth a little exceeded a third of the length. 
Iricles of a golden hue clouded with brown. 
In their stomachs were small Crustacea and marine worms. 
Dr. Farran has favoured me with the following notes upon the food of 
this species : — 
“ The first examination I made of the stomach of the black sole [Solea 
vulgaris ) was in the beginning of Oct., 184L I found in two or three spe- 
cimens of the fish the Cardium elongatum abundantly, but generally 
broken ; with them also a few of the Bulla aperta, and a number of spe- 
cimens (13) of the Echinocgamus pusillus ; in about a month subsequently 
