160 ACANTHOPTERYGII. MUGILIDiE. 



" The Mullet, when encircling seines enclose, 

 The fatal threads and treach'rous bosom knows : 

 Instant he rallies all his vigorous powers, 

 And faithful aid of every nerve implores ; 

 O'er battlements of cork up-darted flies; 

 And finds from air th' escape that sea denies." 



The opinion expressed of tlie harmless appetite of 

 the Grey Mullet we have already seen reason to 

 qualify ; the fact of its being often the prey of 

 the fly-fisher seems also inimical to such a con- 

 clusion. It is said to rise freely at the flies used 

 for Trout, and even at the larger and more 

 gaudy flies used for Salmon. Now though these 

 showy temptations from the angler's cabinet are 

 but combinations of hair, feathers, and the like, 

 yet they profess to be imitations of living flies, 

 and the eagerness with which the fish leaps up at 

 the skilful mimicry, sufficiently proves how he 

 would act if the filmy-winged insect itself were 

 dancing on the smooth surface of the stream. 



The excellence of the flesh of these fishes is 

 generally acknowledged, and they are in con- 

 siderable request for the table ; they are in the 

 best condition about the end of August. In the 

 south of Europe a kind of caviare is made from 

 the roe of the Grey Mullet. It is prepared in 

 the following manner : the fish is opened, the 

 roes taken out, washed, and salted. After having 

 lain in salt for a few hours, they are subjected to 

 pressure between boards, that the water may be 

 expressed. They are then washed in weak brine, 

 and exposed to the rays of the sun. As the 

 operation takes place in summer, when the roe is 

 just ready for deposition, the heat of the weather 

 is sufficient to dry the caviare fit for the market 

 in ten or fifteen days. 



