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 hypoglossus, 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 fishermen were founding the bottom 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 independent of these rays, 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 are of a clear brown, marked with large bright orange-coloured spots: the belly is white.

3. The fleus, 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 fluviatilis. 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 five 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 quality 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 beginning, 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 on 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 in this respect much superior 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 fun-fetting to fun-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. The turbot 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.—These fish are taken chiefly off the north coast of England, and others off the Dutch coast. See Turbot Fishery.