History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

Hippoglossus. FISHES. MALACOPTERYGIOUS. 199107. P. Cyclops.— Eyes on the left side ; the left eye subvertical.Pleuronectes Cyclops, Don. Brit. Fishes, xc—At t.Aberfraw in Anglesea,Captain Merrick.Length lfth inches. Body broad, with dusky spots, surrounded by awhitish ring, smooth. Middle rays of the dorsal and ventral fins longest.Head protruded ;the left eye placed in the middle of the lateral edge. Lateralline curved over the pectorals —This is probably the fry of some of thepreceding species, belonging to a reversed variety.Gen. XL1X. HIPPOGLOSSUS. Holibut.— Teeth numerous,slender, pointed.Tail lunated.A spinein front of the anal fin.108. H. vulgaris. Common Holibut.— Body lengthened,smooth. Lateral line bent over the pectorals.Passer Britannicus, Merr. Pin. 187-— Rhombus laevis, Sibb. Scot. 24—Hippoglossus, Will. Ich. 99—Pleuronectes Hipp. Linn. i.Syst. 456.Penn. Brit. ZooL iii. 226—Common.Upwards of 2 feet in length, and in weight sometimes exceeding 200 pounds.Colour above dusky-brown, beneath white ; free from spots. Body taperingtowards the tail. D. 105, P. 15, V. 6, A. 79, C. 17—The flesh of this speciesis not held in high estimation. It is generally called Turbot in the Edinburghmarket.Gen. L. ANGUILLA. Eel.— Gill-opening under the pectorals.Anal, dorsal, and caudal fins continuous.109- A. vulgaris. Common Eel.— Colour of the dorsal andanal fins uniform.A. Merr. Pin. 189. Sibb. Scot. 25. Will. Ich. 109—Murana unicolor,maxilla inferiore longiore,Art. Ich. Syn.— 39. Muraena Anguilla, Linn.i. 426. Perm. Brit. Zool. iii. 142—Common in rivers and estua-Syst.ries.Length from 1 to 3 feet. Colour, above, dark olive-brown, whitish on thebelly. In the variety called silver eel, the belly and sides are silvery and subtranslucent.The head is depressed the lower jaw ; longest. Eye immediatelyabove the gape ; irides reddish. Nostrils with two openings on eachside ; one a simple pore near the eye, the other a tubular wart on the snout.Gill-opening immediately in front of the temporal fin. This species spawnsin the sea ;for which purpose it leaves the lakes and rivers, descendingfrom August to November. It migrates in greatest numbers in dark stormynights. The young ones begin to appear on the shore in March, April, orMay, and proceed in myriads towards the mouths of rivers for the purposeof ascending to the lakes and marshes. In their ascent, where eel fisheries areof value, the young are assisted in surmounting obstacles, such as the barrierof a mill-dam or a cascade, by straw-ropes, so placed that the young eels cantwist themselves round, and reach the summit. The migrations of the eelwere first pointed out with accuracy by Redi (Opus, part iii. p. 99, ed. 1729).Some good observations by the Rev. George Mack, are recorded in the StatisticalAccount of Scotland, vol. xvi. p. 388, in reference to the eels of theDee.