15 



LESSER GREY MULLET. 



Mugil chelo, Jenyns ; Manual, p. 375. 



" " Yarrell; Br. Fishes, vol. i, p. 241, 



but Dr. Guiither represents the lateral view of the head alone to be a just 

 representation of the fish described. Dr. Gunther, Catalogue of British 

 Museum, vol. iii, p. 455, and Annals and Magazine of Natural History for 

 May, 1861, p. 5, also, confines the name M. chelo to another species not 

 hitherto recognised as British, the fish we have been accustomed to know 

 by that name being his M. seftentrionaViS, the principal m.arks of difference 

 between them being the decidedly shorter pectoral fin of the latter. In 

 M. chelo this fin extends almost to the origin of the first dorsal fin. The 

 upper lijj is described as much thinner in the M. septentrionalis, the pre- 

 orbital bones of a different form, and the tail more extended. It is certain, 

 however, that these preorbital bones in our own fish, in their marginal 

 teeth, as we represent them, are closely like those of M. chelo of Gunther, 

 p. 454, and do not at all resemble those of M. septentrionalis, p. 455. 



This species is less frequently seen than the last named, hut 

 when it appears, it is in far larger numbers and more huddled 

 to'^ether. I have been informed of five thousand, and in 

 another instance almost eight thousand that were taken at one 

 haul of a scan. The usual season of success is in the winter 

 or spring, when they enter harbours and appear busily engaged 

 in searching the crevices of rocks and clumps of sea-weeds 

 for their appropriate food. Their habits in other respects are 

 but little known, except that they are disposed to seek their 

 escape from confinement by leaping over an obstacle in the 

 same manner as the Greater Grey Mullet. Although this 

 species has only been distinguished from the other of late 

 years, it is known, and even in considerable numbers, as far 

 as to the extreme north of the United Kingdom. 



I have not seen it larger than from ten inches to a foot 



