PLEURONECTES. 
3. Pleuronefles plagiufa, the Carolina foie: body ob¬ 
long, fomewhat rough ; dorfal, anal, and tail, fins, united. 
This was obferved at Carolina by Dr. Garden ; body pale 
cinereous; tail pointed. 
4. Pleuronefles argenteus, the white foie : body oblong; 
tail-fin pointed, and united with the dorfal and ana!; late¬ 
ral line llraight; right fide filvery. The left or under fide 
of this fpecies is of a dull brown, but the right fide fiiines 
with the brightnefs of filver. Firft defcribed by Petiver. 
Inhabits the Indian Sea. 
5. Pleuronefles ocellatus, the ocellated foie: four dark- 
brown ocellate fpots on the body ; irides white. The 
dorfal fin has 66 rays, the peflorals 3, ventrals 6, anal 55, 
caudal 14. This inhabits Surinam. The dorfal fin is fold¬ 
ed or plaited; and there is a black band acrofs the tail ; 
the peflorals are very fmall. 
6. Pleuronefles hippogloffus, the holibut: body 
fmooth; tail crefcent-ihaped. There are 7 rays in the 
membrane of the gills, 14 in the pefloral fins, 7 in the 
ventral, 82 in the anal, 18 in the tail, and 107 in the 
dorfal. 
The holibut is the largeft of all fifh except the whale 
tribe, and therefore would much better merit the name 
of maximus, which we (hall fee is given to the turbot. 
It is fo voracious as to devour the ray or fkate, crabs, and 
haddock; it will aifo eat the lump-fifh which flicks to the 
rocks, and is very fond of that food. They lie in rows at 
the bottom of the fea watching open-mouthed for their 
prey; when very hungry, they will gnaw one another’s 
fins or tails. 
The upper part of this fifh is of a dark green, or liver- 
colour, the under part white ; but the colour is variable 
according as the fifh is fat or lean, for the lean ones are 
of a blackifii colour. Both fides are covered with oblong 
fcales lying clofe in the fkin, and, being covered with a 
flimy matter, are not fenfible to the touch, and are only 
obferved when the fifh is dry ; but Bomare is deceived in 
aflerting that the fcales are wanting in this fpecies. The 
head is fmall ; but the mouth is large in proportion, and 
both jaws are armed with longfharp teeth,bent and (land¬ 
ing apart from each other; the upper lip is moveable, 
and armed with a large hone. The eyes are pretty clofe 
together, large, with a black pupil and white iris. The 
■gill-aperture is large, and the membrane is not concealed. 
The pefloral fin is oblong, and yellow edged with brown ; 
the ventral and tail-fins are brown ; the dorfal and anal yel¬ 
low. The anus is farther removed from the head than in 
any other fifties of this genus. The lateral line is curved 
at the bread, and thence goes llraight to the tail-fin. The 
holibut feems to be the connefting link between the foies 
and the other genera of fifhes. It refembles, at lead more 
than any other fpecies of foie, fome other kinds of fifh by 
the (hape of the rail-fin, the breadth of the gill-membrane, 
the fize of the eyes, the aperture of the mouth, and its 
large body, long, thick, raid flefhy. 
This fpecies is fometimes found on our (bores three 
hundred pounds weight, while tbofe in the feas of Ice¬ 
land and Newfoundland greatly exceed even that fize.' 
In Greenland they are alfo caught of a prodigious bulk; 
there they are cut up into large (T,ips, and dried for food. 
The Greenlanders eat the holibut both frefti and dried ; 
they eat alfo the liver prepared with black famphire; of 
the membrane of the (lomach they make (iquares for their 
windows. This fifh is common enough in the London 
market; but, where there is ftich an abundant variety to 
choofe, they are deemed a coarfe unfavoury fifh, excepting 
the part which adheres to the pefloral fins, which is fat 
and lufciqus. Befides other methods of catching this fifh 
in cold countries, they kill them with fpears while afieep 
qn the fands or fmooth (bores. The boatmen, when they 
find they have hooked a large one, do not draw in their 
cordage fuddenly, left *>heir boat (liquid be overfet, but 
leave the fifii to fpend itfelf by beating about in the water; 
then they draw it up, and kill it with clubs. The great- 
eft quantity of thefe fifh are caught in Norway from the 
Vox,. XX. No. 1401. 
685 
ift of May till Midfummer day; for at that feafon, the 
nights being generally clear, the fifhermen can difcern 
them in their deep retreats; later than that it is not fea- 
fonable to fifh for them, for, the weather becoming hot, 
•the fifh gets fat, and cannot be dried fo eafily, and the 
food they prepare from them, called ref and rachcl, does 
not keep fo well. Of thefe preparations, the firft is no¬ 
thing elfe but the fins with the fat (kin to which they are 
attached. The rackel is formed of pieces of the flefhy 
part of the fifh cut length wife; they alfo cut thelean part 
into long drips which they call fltareflog or J'quarrequeite: 
thefe pieces, before they are barrelled up, are falted, and 
then hung upon the fticks in the air to dry; they fait 
them aifo like herrings, and pretend they are better. The 
bell raf and rackel come from Samofe near Bergen; and 
that which is prepared in w'inter is preferred, becaufe the 
coldnefs of the feafon contributes to itsgoodnefs. How¬ 
ever, it is a food little ufed but by the peafants and mari¬ 
ners, who have (trong ftomachs, for it would not agree 
with a weak and delicate appetite. In Holland and at 
Hamburgh, this fifh is fold very cheap ; but the head, 
which is efteemed for its delicacy, is dearer. 
The holibut fpawns in the (pring, excluding eggs of a 
pale red colour on the (bores. between (tones. While 
young, they are devoured by the (kate; and the larger 
ones have a formidable enemy in the dolphin, whofe 
ftrong teeth tear lumps of fle(h from their bodies; for 
fome thus mutilated have been^ caught by the fifhermen. 
The cavity of the belly is final!; the liver long, and lying 
acrofs. The (lomach large, the (kin thereof thin , a fifii 
of fix inches long has been found entire in the (lomach ; 
the inteftinal canal has two finuofities,-and one appendage 
communicating with the principal canal. The ovary is 
double; and in one which weighed fix ounces and a half 
were found 357,400 eggs. 
7. Pleuronefles cynogloffus, the polar or fmaller holi¬ 
but: body oblong, fmooth; teeth obtufe; tail a little 
rounded. The dorfal fin has 112 rays, the peflorals 11, 
ventrals 6, anal, 102, caudal 24. Inhabits the Belgic and 
Greenland feas ; 26 inches long; found in deep holes in 
winter. The lateral line is oblique, but not arched ; the 
dorfal fin reaches the whole length of the back ; the left 
fide is white. It refembles the preceding, but the flefli 
is more delicate. 
8. Pleuronefles platefia, the plaife: body fmooth ; a 
row of fix bony tubercules reaching from behind the left 
eye to the lateral line. There are 6 rays in the membrane 
of the gills, 12 in the pefloral fins, 6 in the ventrals, 54 
in the anal, 19 in the tail, and 68 in the dorfal. The 
body of this fifh is clothed with thin foft fcales, (landing 
in little hollows, which makes it appear fmooth and even 
to the touch: the fcales eafily rub off from the body; 
but at the head they (tick very hard. The mouth is 
fmall; the under jaw protrudes, and on each fide there is 
a large bone in the lip. The noftrils are near the eyes, 
which are of a middle fize ; pupil bluifli, iris greenifh yel¬ 
low. Behind the eyes are the fix bony knobs which form 
the fpecific charafter; the firft is larger than the reft. The 
jaws are furnifhed with a row of fmall blunt teeth ; there 
are two hard bones in the gullet; the palate and tongue 
are fmooth. The membrane of the gills, which is hid 
under the opercula, has round rays. The body is marbled, 
brown and grey, aft.-col on red above, while below ; and 
it is ftrewed with round orange-coloured fpots, as are alfo 
the dorfal and anal fins. The lateral line paffes llraight 
through tlie middle of the body. The rays of the dorfal, 
anal, and tail, fins, are longer than the membrane that 
unites them, and covered half-way with fcales. All the 
fins are of a dark grey colour. The dorfal fin begins rii- 
reftly beyond the eye, and ends near the tail-fin ; in front 
of the anai fin there is a ftrong prickle. 
This fpecies is found in abundance in the Baltic, and 
particularly in the North Sea, keeping at the bottom of 
the water. They come out in the fpfing to thofe places 
near the (bores, &c. where the rays of the fun are favour- 
8 M able 
