Report No. 3 of 1922. 



THE GREY MULLETS OF TUTICORIN 



BY 



R. H. WHITEHOUSE, M.Sc, I.E.S., 

 Late Marine Biologist, Madras Fisheries Department. 



INTRODUCTION. 



When I assumed duties as Marine Biologist in the Fisheries 

 Department of the Madras Government in September 1919, one of 

 the subjects under investigation by one of the sub-assistants was 

 the determination of the various species of mullets which are found 

 in Tuticorin waters, and in particular, in the Silavatturai Lagoon at 

 Tuticorin. This young sub-assistant had found, what others had 

 previously discovered, that the mullets form a group whose species 

 it is most difficult to determine. 



Beyond supervising the work of the sub-assistant mentioned, 

 and giving what hints I could in the time I could devote to the 

 matter, I myself did nothing with the mullets until the sub-assistant 

 left the service of the department on 2lst June 1920. 



After that date, I took up the matter alone, and spent some time 

 in getting acquainted with these fishes in a general way. This 

 preliminary survey being accomplished, I drew up tabulated sheets 

 with a view to entering- up the details of the characters of the 

 different forms. 



The work of counting scales and determining proportions in 

 many scores of specimens proved extremely trying, particularly 

 with those species which so closely resemble one another. Revision 

 after revision often seemed to result only in greater confusion, 

 until finally, one by one, the species became separable. 



The primary idea was to establish for each species such con- 

 stants as would make it possible for officers of the Fisheries 

 Department to determine at sight the various species. To some 

 extent this has been possible, though in one or two cases, I fear 

 I have not been wholly successful, and a close examination is still 

 necessary. 



