in ichthyology, a genus belonging to the order of thoracici. Both eyes are on the same side of the head; there are from four to five rays in the gill-membrane; the body is compressed; the one side resembling the back, the other the belly. There are 17 species; the most remarkable are,

1. The hippoglossus, or holibut. This is the largest of the genus: some have been taken in our seas weighing from 100 to 300 pounds; but much larger are found in those of Newfoundland, Greenland, and Iceland, where they are taken with a hook and line in very deep water. They are part of the food of the Greenlanders, who cut them into large slips, and dry them in the sun. They are common in the London markets, where they are exposed to sale cut into large pieces. They are very coarse eating, excepting the part which adheres to the side-fins, which is extremely fat and delicious, but surfeiting. They are the most voracious of all flat fish. There have been instances of their swallowing the lead weight at the end of a line, with which the seamen were founding the bottom. tom from on board a ship. The holibut, in respect to its length, is the narrowest of any of this genus except the sole. It is perfectly smooth, and free from spines either above or below. The colour of the upper part is dusky; beneath, of a pure white. We do not count the rays of the fins in this genus; not only because they are so numerous, but because nature hath given to each species characters sufficient to distinguish them by. These flat fish swim sidewise; for which reason Linnaeus hath styled them pleuronectes.

2. The plaice, or plaife, are very common on most of our coasts, and sometimes taken of the weight of 15 pounds; but they seldom reach that size, one of eight or nine pounds being reckoned a large fish. The best and largest are taken off Rye on the coast of Sussex, and also off the Dutch coasts. They spawn in the beginning of February. They are very flat, and much more square than the preceding. Behind the left eye is a row of six tubercles, that reaches to the commencement of the lateral line. The upper part of the body and fins is of a clear brown, marked with large bright orange-coloured spots; the belly is white.

3. The flatus, or flounder, inhabits every part of the British sea, and even frequents our rivers at a great distance from the salt waters; and for this reason some writers call it the puffer flaviatilis. It never grows large in our rivers, but is reckoned sweeter than those that live in the sea. It is inferior in size to the plaice, seldom or never weighing more than six pounds. It may very easily be distinguished from the plaice, or any other fish of this genus, by a row of sharp small spines that surround its upper sides, and are placed just at the junction of the fins with the body. Another row marks the side-line, and runs half way down the back. The colour of the upper part of the body is a pale brown, sometimes marked with a few obscure spots of dirty yellow; the belly is white.

4. The limanda, or dab, is found with the other species, but is less common. It is in best season during February, March, and April; they spawn in May and June, and become flabby and watery the rest of summer. They are superior in goodness to the plaice and flounder, but far inferior in size. It is generally of an uniform brown colour on the upper side, though sometimes clouded with a darker. The scales are small and rough, which is a character of this species. The lateral line is extremely incurvated at the beginnings, then goes quite straight to the tail. The lower part of the body is white.

5. The solea, or sole, is found on all our coasts; but those on the western shores are much superior in size to those of the north. On the former they are sometimes taken of the weight of six or seven pounds, but towards Scarborough they rarely exceed one pound; if they reach two, it is extremely uncommon. They are usually taken in the trawl-net; they keep much at the bottom, and feed on small shell-fish. It is of a form much more narrow and oblong than any other of the genus. The irides are yellow; the pupils of a bright sapphire colour; the scales are small, and very rough; the upper part of the body is of a deep brown; the tip of one of the pectoral fins, black; the under part of the body, white; the lateral line is straight; the tail rounded at the end. It is a fish of a very delicate flavour; but the small soles are much superior in goodness to large ones. By the ancient laws of the Cinque Ports, no one was to take soles from the 1st of November to the 15th of March; neither was any body to fish from sun-setting to sun-rising, that the fish might enjoy their night-food. The chief fishery for them is at Brixham in Torbay.

6. The maximus, or turbot, grows to a very large size; Mr Pennant has seen them of 23 pounds weight, but has heard of some that weighed 30. They are taken chiefly off the north coast of England, and others off the Dutch coast.

The large turbots, and several other kinds of flat fish, are taken by the hook and line, for they lie in deep water: the method of taking them in wares, or flaked nets, is too precarious to be depended on for the supply of our great markets, because it is by mere accident that the great fish stray into them. The following is the method of fishing for turbot followed at Scarborough: When they go out to fish, each person is provided with three lines. Each man's lines are fairly coiled upon a flat oblong piece of wicker-work; the hooks being baited, and placed very regularly in the centre of the coil. Each line is furnished with 14 score of hooks, at the distance of six feet two inches from each other. The hooks are fastened to the lines upon strands of twisted horse-hair, 27 inches in length. When fishing, there are always three men in each coble; and consequently nine of these lines are fastened together, and used as one line, extending in length near three miles, and furnished with 2520 hooks. An anchor and a buoy are fixed at the first end of the line, and one more of each at the end of each man's lines; in all four anchors, which are commonly perforated stones, and four buoys made of leather or cork. The line is always laid across the current. The tides of flood and ebb continue an equal time upon our coast; and, when undisturbed by winds, run each way about six hours. They are so rapid, that the fishermen can only shoot and haul their lines at the turn of tide; and therefore the lines always remain upon the ground about six hours. The same rapidity of tide prevents their using hand-lines; and therefore two of the people commonly wrap themselves in the sail, and sleep, while the other keeps a strict look-out, for fear of being run down by ships, and to observe the weather. For storms often rise so suddenly, that it is with extreme difficulty they can sometimes escape to the shore, leaving their lines behind. The coble is 20 feet 6 inches long, and 5 feet extreme breadth. It is about one ton burden, rowed with three pair of oars, and admirably constructed for the purpose of encountering a mountainous sea: they hoist sail when the wind suits. The five-men boat is 40 feet long and 15 broad, and of 25 tons burden; it is so called, though navigated by six men and a boy, because one of the men is commonly hired to cook, &c. and does not share in the profits with the other five. All our able fishermen go in these boats to the herring-fishery at Yarmouth the latter end of September, and return about the middle of November. The boats are then laid up until the beginning of Lent; at which time they go off in them to the edge of the Dogger, and other places, to fish for turbot, cod, ling, skaits, &c. They always take two cibles on board; and when they come upon their ground, ground, anchor the boat, throw out the cobles, and fish in the same manner as those do who go from the shore in a coble; with this difference only, that here each man is provided with double the quantity of lines, and instead of waiting the return of tide in the coble, return to the boat and bait their other lines; thus hawling one set, and shooting another every turn of tide. They commonly run into harbour twice a-week to deliver their fish. The five-men boat is decked at each end, but open in the middle, and has two large lug-falls. The best bait for all kinds of fish is fresh herring cut in pieces of a proper size; and notwithstanding what has been said to the contrary, they are taken here at any time in the winter, and all the spring, whenever the fishermen put down their nets for that purpose. The five-men boats always take some nets for that end. Next to herrings are the lesser lampreys, which come all winter by land-carriage from Tadcaster. The Dutch also use these fish as baits in the turbot fishery, and purchase annually from the Thames fishermen as much as amounts to £700 worth for that purpose. The next baits in esteem are small haddock cut in pieces, sand-worms, mullets, and limpets (called here fiddlers); and lastly, when none of these can be had, they use bullock’s liver. The hooks used here are much smaller than those employed at Iceland and Newfoundland. Experience has shewn, that the larger fish will take a living small one upon the hook, sooner than any bait that can be put on; therefore they use such as the small fish can swallow. The hooks are two inches and an half long in the shank, and near an inch wide between the shank and the point. The line is made of small cording, and is always tanned before it is used.

Turbots, and all the rays, are extremely delicate in their choice of baits. If a piece of herring or haddock has been 12 hours out of the sea, and then used as bait, they will not touch it. This species is of a remarkable square form: the colour of the upper part of the body is cinereous, marked with numbers of black spots of different sizes; the belly is white; the skin is without scales, but greatly wrinkled, and mixed with small short spines, dispersed without any order.