and the Grey Mullet of the British Coast. 139 



Europe," not the genus under consideration, but th^Mullus, or 

 surmullet kind, the two genera having no affinities but in 

 name. Such, however, I conceive, are scarcely worthy the 

 notice of the naturalist, or man of science, as, for instance, 

 the puerile caprices, or downright idiotcy, displayed in their 

 disgusting expressions of pleasure, or affected delight, at the 

 sight of the dying mullets, with all the epicurean affectation 

 of a debauched and effeminate people. 



The name of Cephale, or cephalon, was probably given it 

 by the Greeks in reference to the size of the head, as it were, 

 great head, (macrocephalus,) or more analogous to the attri- 

 butive nouns in the Spanish, as from cabe^a, the head, they 

 say cabegdn, one with a great head. It has been suggested, 

 however, by some of the older writers, as deriving its name 

 from the alleged property of causing headache when eaten at 

 supper. 



The head of the M. cepbalus is represented square, with a 

 blunt snout, and several peculiarities in which it emulates the 

 Guiana queriman. 



Since the foregoing observations were written, I have been 

 rather surprised to find, that a very considerable number 

 of the British fishes are either mistaken or ill described ; — 

 even the common shad of the river Thames, if not a non- 

 descript species, is at least mistaken for the Clupea alosa of 

 Linnseus. Indeed it appears there are two or three species on 

 this coast confounded under the name of Shad. Cuvier says the 

 shad (Clupea alosa) is without teeth, and ha& a^ijagle black 

 spot behind the gills. - i,jf; n i^.ii>|,s7 rl 





:i?3l> 1i:d> io t&tra*»it» 



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