22 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Juvenal remarks, the fisherman could have been purchased for less than his fish. 

 But as time went on the abnormal value of the mullet declined, until in the fourth 

 century, Macrobius assures us that it was not excessive. 



1. Mullus barbatus, Plate VIII, fig. 1. 



TplyXt) Arist. ii, c. 17, iv, c. 11, v, c. 9, vi, c. 17, viii, c. 2 and 13, ix, c. 2 

 and 37 ; iElian, ii, c. 41 ; Athen. vii, pp. 324, 325. 



Mullus, Ovid, v. 123; Pliny, ix, c. 17, 18, 51; Martial, x, ep. 30, 31, xi, ep. 

 50; Colum. viii, c. 17; Belon. 170. Triglia, Salv. fol. 235. Mullus minor, 

 Jonston, lib. i, t. iii, c. 1, art. 1, p. 61, t. xvii, f. 5. Mullus Belonii, Willughby, 

 p. 285, t. S. 7, f. 2 ; Ray, p. 90. Mullus barbatus, Rondel, ix, c. 4, p. 290, c. fig. ; 

 Gesner, Aquat. p. 565. Mullus, Gronov. Zooph. p. 85, No. 286. Trigla, No. 1, 

 Artedi, Genera, p. 43, Synon. 71. 



Surmullet, Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1) iii, p. 271 (Ed. 2) iii, p. 265. 



Mullus barbatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 495 ; Bonnaterre, Ich. p. 143, pi. lix, 

 f . 232 ; Bloch, t, 348, f . 2 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1338 ; Bl. Scbn. p. 79 ; Shaw, Zool. 

 iv, p. 611; Mart. Reise nach Venedig. ii, p. 426; Turton, p. 101; Cuv. and 

 Val. hi, p. 442, pi. lxx ; Yarrell, Brit. Pish. (Ed. 1) i, p. 32, c. fig. (Ed. 2) i, 

 p. 36 (Ed. 3) ii, p. 102 ; Jenyns, Brit. Vert. p. 338 ; Swainson, Fishes ii, p. 234 ; 

 Johnston, Berwick. Nat. Club, 1838, i, p. 170 ; Nord. in Demid. Voy. Poiss. 

 p. 373 ; White, Catal. Brit. Fish, p. 14 ; Giinther, Catal. i, p. 401 ; Steindach. 

 Sitz. Ak. Wiss. Wien. 1867, lvi, p. 635 or Ich. Spanien u. Port. 1867, p. 33. 



Bed Mullet, Couch, Fishes Brit. Isles, i, p. 217, pi. xlvii. 



Variety Mullus surmuletus, Plate VIII, fig. 2. 



Mullus. Pliny, Hist. Mund. ix, c. 17; Belon. Aq. p. 176. Mullus major, Salv. 

 fol. 236 ; Aldrov. Pise. p. 123 ; Jonston, De Pise. lib. i, t. iii, c. 1, art. 1, p. 61, 

 t. xvii, f. 6 ; Willugh. p. 285, t. S. 7, f . 1 ; Ray, p. 91. Trigla, No. 2, Artedi 

 Genera 43, Syn. 72. Mullus barbatus, Klein, Mss. 5, p. 22. Striped surmullet, 

 Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1) iii, p. 274, pi. liii (Ed. 2) iii, p. 368, pi. lxiv. 



Mullus surmuletus, Linn. Syst. i, p. 496 ; Bonnaterre, Ich. p. 144, pi. lix, f. 233; 

 Bloch, t. lvii ; Shaw, Brit. Zool. iv, p. 613, pi. lxxxviii ; Briinn. Pise. Mass. p. 71 ; 

 Gmel. Linn. p. 1339 ; Lacep. iii, p. 394 ; Bl. Schn. p. 77 ; Donovan, Brit. Fish, i, 

 pi. xii ; Martens, Reise nach Venedig. ii, p. 427 ; Turton, p. 102 ; Cuv. and Val. 

 iii, p. 433 ; Cuv. Regne Anim. 111. Poissons, pi. xix, f. 2 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fishes 

 (Ed. 1) i, p. 27, c. fig. (Ed. 2) i, p. 31 (Ed. 3) ii, p. 97 ; Mem. Brit. An. p. 216 ; 

 Jenyns, Manual Brit. Vert. p. 337 ; Guichen. Explor. Sc. Alger. Poiss. p. 38 ; 

 White, Catal. Brit. Fish. p. 14 ; Thompson, Nat. Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 70 ; Giinther, 

 Catal. i, p. 401 ; Collett, Norges Fiske, p. 17. 



Mullus barbatus, De la Roche, An. Mus. xiii, p. 316 ; Gronov. ed. Gray, p. 108. 



Surmullet, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, i, p. 208, pi. xlvii. 



B. iv, D. 7-8 | |, P. 16-18, V. 1/5, A. f , C. 15, L. 1. 38-40, L. tr. ^' Ccec. 



pyl. 18-22, Vert. 10/14. 



Length of head 4 to 4|, height of body 3| to 4|, length of caudal fin 4-| to 5 

 in the total length. Eye high up, 1^ to 2 diameters from the end of the 

 snout, 1^ diameters in the postorbital portion of the head, and 1 to 1^ diameters 

 apart. Profile of forehead more or less steep, in some examples descending 

 almost vertically. Preorbital much higher than broad sometimes nearly twice as 

 much. The posterior extremity of the maxilla reaches to beneath the anterior 

 edge of the orbit : snout, preorbital and cheeks covered with open pores. 

 Barbels well developed, and reaching to beneath the hind edge of the preopercle. 

 Teeth in about 2 rather obtuse rows in the lower jaw, none in the upper. Rounded 

 teeth on vomer and palatine bones. Tongue toothless. Fins spines of first 

 dorsal flattened and weak at their extremities, the first spine very short (apt to be 

 overlooked), the second, third and fourth of about the same length and equalling 

 2/3 the length of the head : subsequently the spines decrease in length. An 

 interspace of about four scales between the two dorsal fins. Second anal spine 

 much the longer. Intestines the length of the intestinal tract from the pylorus 



