690 
P L E 
the other. The jaws are of equal length, and armed 
with little (harp teeth. The lkin which joins the 
rays is yellowiffi, and the rays are brown’; both orna¬ 
mented with blue fpots. The pe&oral and tail fins have 
branched rays, the latter is round ; the dorfal fin extends 
from the fnout to the tail. The lateral line makes a bend 
above the pedioralfin; then pafies on down the middle of 
the body. The under fide is afh-colour; both fides are 
covered with little foft fcales. 
Marcgrave found the argus at Brafil, Plumier about the 
Antilles, Catefby in Carolina, Solander at Otaheite, and 
Forfter in the ifiand of Rotterdam. It grows from one to 
two feet long. In winter it remains at the bottom of the 
fea ; in fpring it mounts the dreams, where it remains 
during fummer; and then its flefli becomes tender and 
well-tafted; but Feuille fays it is full of very fmall bones, 
like the Iliad or herring. Catefby’s beautiful reprefenta- 
tion of this fpecies, from which our fig. 5 is copied, has 
the eyes on the dexter fide. 
Cepede fuppofes the following ( lunatus ), and the mancus 
alfo, to be only varieties of this. Certain it is, that the 
fynonymes are much confounded in thefe three fpecies. 
36. Pleurone£tes lunatus, the lunate foie : body Mat¬ 
tered with blue femilunate fpots; tail Innate. In the 
dorfal fin 85 rays, in the peiftorals 12, in the ventrals 6, 
in the anal 79, in the caudal 17. Inhabits North Ame¬ 
rica. 
37. Pleuronefles ftellatus, the ftellated flounder : colour 
brown, with verynumerous whitifh tubercles radiated with 
fpines. This elegant fpecies is frequently found, accord¬ 
ing to Dr. Pallas, about the months of rivers in the Cu- 
rile iflands. Its ufual length is fuppofed to be fomewhat 
lefs than a foot and a half; or nearly that of a plaife; 
which it alfo refembles in (hape ; but the eyes are on the 
left fide, which is of a brown colour, and very thickly 
rnuricated all over with fmall tubercles of a whitifli cad, 
fmooth in the centre, but radiated round the edge with 
fmall fpines : the under fide is white, and the fins are pale 
with dufky or blackifh dreaks here and there in the direc¬ 
tion of the rays. 
38. Pleuronefles Japonicus, the Japan plaife: tongue 
rough. It is a native of the Japan feas. It is about fix 
inches long; the colour is brownilh above and whitifli be¬ 
neath; rays of the dorfal and anal fin fo extremely nume¬ 
rous, as to be counted with difficulty. 
39. Pleuronedles calimanda, the royal plaife : the left 
fide fhagreened, and fprinkled with various colours; lower 
jaw much raifed. This was fird defcribed by Duhamel, 
who found it in the ocean. Its length is eight or ten 
inches. It is beautifully marked on the upper furface 
with reddifli, brown, and dark grey. Some have a gold 
fpot on the tail in a dark-brown circle; the fiffiermen fay, 
that the males have a fecond fpot above the fird, and a 
third near the operculum. 
40. Pleuroneftes Comnrerfonii, Commerfon’s foie : the 
upper j 3 vv protruded, the upper eye forwarder than the 
lower ; the lateral line bends a little upwards, then down¬ 
wards ; fcales very fmall. The dorfal fin has 90 rays, and 
reaches the whole length of body, tail, and head; the anal 
70 ; the pectorals have 9 rays each, and that on the right 
fide is fmaller than the other; in the ventral fins 6 rays; 
and in the tail, which is rounded, 1 5 rays. Body oblong; 
the left fide whitifli, with pale reddifli fpots. Length 
about fix inches ; found in the fea at the Ille of France, 
and is faid to be better eating than the foie. Defcribed and 
figured by Commerfon. 
PLEUROTHAL'LIS, /. in botany. See Epidendrum 
rufcifolium. 
PLEURS, a town of SwifTerland, which was formerly 
large and flourifliing, and fubjedl, as well as Chiavenn3, 
to the Giifons. It is (aid to have contained three 
churches, many large houfes, and a ftone bridge over the 
Maria; and that its population amounted to at lead 1500 
inhabitants, who carried on no inconfiderable commerce. 
But it was totally overwhelmed by the fall of Mount 
P L I 
Conto, which terrible cataftrophe happened on the 25th 
of Auguft, 1618. The valley in which it was fituated is 
very narrow, and the whole town was buried in one un- 
diftinguifhed ruin. A contemporary account relates, 
that the cloud of dull and rubbiffi was fo great as to 
cover the heavens like fmoke, and even to extend as far 
as Chiavenna ; the inhabitants of which place, alarmed 
at the phenomenon, were Hill more terrified at the fudden 
difappearance of the river Maria, the courfe of which 
was flopped by the fallen fragments of rock; and, appre- 
henlive that the torrent had undermined Chiavenna, 
they precipitately fled in great numbers to the moun¬ 
tains. A part of the ancient walls, and the ruins of a 
country hotife, belonging to the richell family in the 
place, are the only remains of its former exiftence. 
PLEURTU'IT, a town of France, department of the 
Ille and Vilaine : twenty-eight miles north- w’eft of Rennes. 
Population 1900. 
PLEUVAU'LT, a town of France, in the department of 
the Cote d’Or : twelve miles fouth-eaft of Dijon. 
PLEX'US, f. [Lat. from plicn, to knit or weave ] A 
term applied to various parrs of the body, where feve- 
ral nerves or blood-veffels are united together.— In the 
nervous fyftem plexufes are frequent, particularly in the 
fympathetic. Chambers. 
PLEY'BEN, a town of France, department of Finifterre; 
containing, with its pariffi, 3700 inhabitants: fix miles 
north by eaft of Quimper. 
PLEY'BERG, a town of the duchy of Carinthia, for¬ 
merly called “ Auffenftein :” twenty miles eaft of Clagen- 
fu rt. 
PLIABIL'ITY, /. Flexibility; pliablenefs. 
PLI'ABLE, aelj. [from plier, Fr. to bend.] Eafytobe 
bent ; flexible.—Whether the different motions of the ani¬ 
mal fpirits may have any effe£l on the mould of the face, 
when the lineaments are pliable and tender, I fhall leave 
to the curious. Addifon. —Flexible of dilpolition ; eafy 
to be perfuaded.— Pliable ffie promifed to be. More's Life 
of the Soul. 
PLI'ABLENESS, /. Flexibility; eafinefs to be bent. 
Flexibility of mind.—Compare the ingenious pliablenefs 
to virtuous counfels in youth, as it comes freth and un¬ 
tainted out of the hands of nature, with the confirmed 
obftinacy in mod: forts of fin, that is to be found in an 
aged (inner. South's Serm. 
PLI'ANCY, /. Eafinefs to be bent.—Had notexercife 
been neceflary, nature would not have given fuch an 
adlivity to the limbs, and fuch a pliancy to every parr, 
as produces thofe compreffions and extenfions neceflary 
for the prefervation of fuch a lyftem. Addifon's SpeElator. 
PLI'ANT, adj. Bending; tough; flexile ; flexible; 
lithe; limber.—An anatomift promifed to difleft a wo¬ 
man’s tongue, and examine whether the fibres may net 
be made up of a finer and more pliant thread. Addifon's 
Spe&ator. —Eafy to take a form : 
As the wax melts that to the flame I hold, 
Pliant and warm may (till her heart remain, 
Soft to the print, but ne’er turn hard again. Granville. 
Eafily complying.—In languages the tongue is more pliant 
to all founds, the joints more lupple to all feats of activity, 
in youth than afterwards. Bacon's Effays. 
Thofe, who bore bulwarks on their backs, 
Now praftife ev’ry pliant gefture, 
Op’ning their trunk for ev’ry teller. Swift's Mifcetl. 
Eafily perfuaded.—The will was then duftile and pliant 
to right reafon, it met the dilates of a clarified under- 
ftanding halfway. South. 
FLI'ANT ME'ALY TREE,/. A common tree in 
plantations. See Viburnum. , 
PLI'ANTNESS,/ Flexibility; toughnefs.—Greatneis 
of weight, clofenels of parts, fixation, pliantnejs, or fott- 
nefs. Bacon's Nat. Hijl. T nra 
