1 I 



No. 12. GREY MULLET. 



il cupito, Cuvier. 

 Mngil chclo, Linnaeus (see figure). 



Usual extreme length : 3 feet, but the majority seldom exceed 

 1 8 inches. 



Description : The term "Grey Mullet' is applied to two 

 species of fish, which differ chiefly in the fact that in the one 

 the lips are thick and in the other thin; otherwise the following- 

 description of external characters may be attributed to either. 

 There are two dorsal fins, the first consisting- of four well deve- 

 loped spinous rays, and the second of one spine and eight or 

 nine soft rays; the anal comprises eight to ten rays, and there 

 are a spine and five rays in the ventral fin. The dorsal fins are 

 comparatively far apart, and the tail is large and slightly forked. 

 The coloration is silvery grey, darker on the back, interrupted 

 on the flanks by rows of almost black strokes. 



Grey Mullet are gregarious, and feed largely upon vegetable 



matter. 



Range: The thick lipped species (M. chclo) is of fairly general 

 occurrence around our coasts, being met with more frequently 

 to the south of Britain. The other is probably of very similar 

 range, but is generally considered to be scarcer. Both species 

 occasionally frequent brackish and even fresh water. 



Remarks: The quantity of this excellent table fish landed of recent 

 years has been steadily on the decline. The fishery is very irregular, 

 being carried on chiefly by means of seines, shot in close inshore waters. 



Although great similarity in flavour undoubtedly exists between the 

 two species, the Grey Mullet bears no real affinity to the Red Mullet, 

 which is, zoologically speaking, an entirely different type of fish. 



The best method of cookery consists in baking the entire fish, with 

 seasoning, in an envelope of greased paper. 



