Percesoces and Rhegnopteri 219 



The Mullets: Mugilidae. The mullets (MugilidcB) are more 

 clumsy in form than the silversides, robust, with broad heads 

 and stouter fin-spines. The ventral fins are abdominal but 

 well forward, the pelvis barely touching the clavicle, a con- 

 dition to be defined as "subabdominal." The small mouth 

 is armed with very feeble teeth, often reduced to mere fringes. 

 The stomach is muscular like the gizzard of a fowl and 

 the species feed largely on the vegetation contained in mud. 

 There are numerous species, mostly living in shallow bays 

 and estuaries, but some of them are confined to fresh waters. 

 All are valued as food and some of them under favorable con- 

 ditions are especially excellent. 



Most of the species belong to the genera Mugil, the mullet of 

 all English-speaking people, although not at all related to the 

 red mullet or surmullet of the ancient Romans, Mullus barbatus. 



The mullets are stoutish fish from one to two feet long, 

 with blunt heads, small mouths almost toothless, large scales, 

 and a general bluish-silvery color often varied by faint blue 

 stripes. The most important species is Mugil cephalus, the 

 common striped mullet This is found throughout southern 

 Europe and from Cape Cod to Brazil, from Monterey, California, 

 to Chile, and across the Pacific to Hawaii, Japan, and the Red 

 Sea. Among specimens from all these regions we can detect no 

 difference. 



Professor Goode gives the following account of its habits: 



"The large mullets begin to assemble along the Florida 

 coast in schools in the height of summer, probably preparatory 

 to spawning, and at this time the eggs commence to mature. 

 In this season they swim at the surface, and are then pursued 

 by enemies in the water and the air, and also fall an easy prey to 

 the fishermen. They appear to prefer to swim against the 

 wind, and school best with a northeast wind. They also run 

 against the tide. In Florida the spawning season seems to 

 extend from the middle of November to the middle of January. 

 Some of the fishermen say that they go on the mud-flats and 

 oyster-beds at the mouth of the river to deposit their eggs. 

 What becomes of them after this no one seems to know, but 

 it is probable that they spread themselves over the whole sur- 

 face of water-covered country in such a manner as not to be 



