Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. 355 



figure of the grey mullet in his British Zoology is referred to 

 as M. Capito, but in the c Hist, des Pois.' of Cuv. and Val. (t. xi. 

 p. 66.) it is believed to represent M. Chelo. In this last work 

 Donovan's figure of the mullet (Brit. Fish. pi. 15.) is consi- 

 sidered a very good representation of M. Chelo. With this 

 opinion I fullv coincide, although Yarrell and Jenyns refer to 

 both figures as M. Capito*. The descriptions of Pennant and 

 Donovan throw no light upon the subject, nor are we informed 

 whence the specimens were obtained that served for their il- 

 lustrations. Pennant's figure exhibits the longitudinal lines 

 reaching about as far as they generally do in M. Chelo; but 

 Donovan, on the other hand, portrays them as extending to 

 the ventral profile : in the more important characters however 

 of the form of the operculum and mouth, his figure represents 

 this species. I may add, that its greater than ordinary depth, 

 which induced Mr. Yarrell to remark that the proportions of 

 Donovan's grey mullet approach " more closely to those of 

 M. curtus than to those of the common grey mullet of this 

 country" (Brit. Fish. vol. i. p. 211,) seems not to me, from the 

 great diversity of depth in different individuals, to militate 

 against its being the M. Chelo. 



The following is a description of a specimen examined on the 

 21st of July. Total length, 22 inches ; greatest depth, 5\ in. ; 

 thickness, 3^ in. ; weight. 5 lbs. D. 4— 1/8; A. 2(9; P. 17; 

 V. 1/5; C. 14. — Br. 6. In form it well agrees with the de- 

 tailed description of Cuv. and Val., t. xi. p. 51, et seq.f The 

 colour of the back is, as there described, of a fine steel blue ; 

 thence it becomes gradually lighter towards the under surface, 

 which is pure opake white, glossed with silver ; a blackish line 

 extends throughout the centre of the first ten rows of scales, 

 ending with the row beneath the base of the P. fin, and giving 

 to the fish its lineated appearance. Entire top of the head and 

 upper lip greyish black ; sides of the head just behind the eyes 

 deep gold colour ; lower part of the head or base of the oper- 

 cula pure white ; irides purplish black ; outer base of P. fin, 



* Mr. Yarrell has taken it for granted that the Irish mullet is of this spe- 

 cies, vol. i. p. 202. 



f The scales generally agree in every particular with the description at 

 p. 52, but some do not either in proportion or sculpture. 



2 A 2 



