Volume 39, Plate XII / Ichthyology (Fish)

Common Sole & Variegated Sole

Solea vulgaris & Monochirus variegatus

1. Common Sole. Distributed around all the coasts of Britain and Ireland but least frequent and smallest in the north, the Common Sole attains its finest size and quality on southern and western shores, being of long oval shape, dark brown above and white below. Frequenting deep water and rarely taking a bait, it is caught by trawling, is in season nearly all year, and has even been found to thrive and breed in fresh water.
2. Variegated Sole. First noticed as the Red-back Flounder in 1812, the Variegated Sole is a small fish scarcely reaching half a foot, of reddish brown surface variegated with dark brown, with large rough ciliated scales and a distinct space between the dorsal and anal fins and the tail. A rare species in Britain, it has been taken near Plymouth, where it is said to be common in spring, on the Cornish coast, and in Belfast Bay.