MULLETS. 153 



the second ray produced into a long filament, 

 while the others are of the usual size : the anal 

 is longer than the dorsal. 



We illustrate the genus by the Elegant Long- 

 fin {Macropodiis venustus, Cuv.), a native of the 

 great rivers of India. 



Family XIII. Mugilid.e. 



{Mullets.) 



The well-known fishes of this Family are often 

 spoken of as Grey Mullets, to distinguish them 

 from the MuU'idce, which are frequently mentioned 

 as Red Mullets ; though it is perhaps better, as 

 less likely to create confusion of ideas, to use the 

 term Mullets for the one and that of Sur-mullets 

 for the other. The true Mullets then are dis- 

 tinguished by the following characters. The 

 body is oblong, somewhat narrow, more or less 

 cylindrical, clothed with large scales. The head 

 is somewhat depressed, covered with large angular 

 scaly plates ; the muzzle is short and obtuse, 

 slightly projecting over the mouth, wdiich is small, 

 transversely cleft, and forming, when closed, an 

 angle, the lower jaw having an eminence in the 

 middle corresponding to a hollow in the upper : 

 the eyes are large and placed near the muzzle. 

 The teeth are very minute, and in some almost 

 imperceptible ; there are six gill-rays ; ^the bones 

 of the pharynx are so much developed as to give 

 an angular form to the gullet. There are two 

 dorsals, remote from each other, the first consist- 

 ing of four strong spinous rays ; the ventrals are a 

 little behind the pectorals ; the caudal is forked 



