THICK-LIPPED GREY MULLET. 



241 



ACANTHOPTERYGIL 



MUGIUDJE. 



i 



: i 





THE THICK-LIPPED GREY MULLET. 



Mugil chelo, CUVIER, Regne An. t. ii. p. 232. 



,, ,, Cuv. et VALENC. Hist. Nat. des Poiss. t. xi. p. 50. 



,, chelo, P. MUSIGNANO, 1'aun. Ital. pt. vi. 



,, ,, COUCH, MS. 



,, ,, JENVNS, Brit. Vert. p. 375. 



MR. COUCH appears to be the first naturalist who has 

 noticed the appearance of Mugil chelo on the British coast. 

 A decided difference observed in the habits of this Grey 

 Mullet compared with those of M. capita led to an exami- 

 nation of its specific characters, and a knowledge of the fact 

 that it was a distinct species, which, though well known to 

 modern Continental Ichthyologists, had not previously been 

 noticed by observers here, 



Mr. Couch's communication is as follows : 

 " This Grey Mullet is gregarious, frequenting harbours 

 and the mouths of rivers in the winter months, in large num- 

 bers, all of which are just of one size. I have heard of so 

 many as two tons being taken at one time : but the fish 

 which I shall here describe was taken with about four hun- 

 dred others as they were left in a pool of our river, forsaken 



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