MUGIL COREUGATUS. 159 



well-marked a species, abounding in the market almost at all seasons, 

 should have so long remained unnoticed by the naturalist. 



Shape elongate, elliptic rather than oblong, or deepest in the middle, and 

 pointed towards each end : very thick, broad, and flattened above, forwards at 

 the head and shoulders ; thence gradually backwards more compressed. The 

 greatest depth, which corresponds with the middle of the body, or the first dorsal 

 fin, is one fourth of the whole length ; and the greatest thickness at the shoulders 

 is about one seventh of the same. The curvature of the dorsal and ventral lines 

 is nearly equal ; and it is also regular and uniform. 



The head is small, roundish, broader than deep, and with the nape and fore- 

 part of the back behind it flattened above : its profile from the nape descends 

 rapidly, but continuously with that of the back from the first dorsal fin, to the 

 tip of the muzzle. Its length is from one fifth to one sixth of the whole length. 

 The muzzle is rather long, extending fully a diameter and half before the eye, 

 and equalling between one third and one fourth of the length of the head. It 

 resembles strongly, like the whole head and profile, that of M. chelo, Cuv. and 

 Val. t. 309. The nostrils are two small oval orifices close to one another, a 

 little before the eye on a line with the upper part of its orbit. The eyes are 

 round, of a moderate size, their diameter being one fifth the length of the head : 

 the space between them is flat, and equals nearly three times their diameter. 

 They are devoid of any particular gelatinous covering membrane, veil, or eyelid, 

 but are surrounded by a narrow smooth gelatinous space or ring. Before their 

 lower fore-comer appears the bony, hard, triangular suborbitary ; the lower 

 rounded or obliquely truncate end of which is very finely and minutely crenulate, 

 with the fore-edge nearly straight and but slightly concave, as in M. capita 

 or chelo, Cuv. : not distinctly hollowed out, or notched, as it is in M. saliens, Risso, 

 or labeo, Cuv. Owing to the length of the maxillaries, which are twisted like 

 the letter S, their ends appear below the corners of the mouth, reaching altogether 

 below a horizontal line drawn backwards along the lower edge of the orbit from 

 the comers of the closed mouth ; exactly as described in M. labeo by MM. Cuv. 

 and Val. vol. xi. p. 56, and figured at t. 310 ; although the suborbitary itself 

 in its figure and crenulations perfectly resembles rather that of M. chelo, Cuv. and 

 Val. t. 309. 



Upper lip excessively broad, fleshy, thick, and prominent, or convex ; forming, 

 when the mouth is closed, an abrupt and truncate termination vertically to the 

 muzzle. Two thirds of its surface are perfectly smooth and even : but the lower 

 third part bordering the mouth is, as it were, frilled and honeycombed, or 

 singularly corrugate, with little short obliquely lunate flaps or plaits of skin 

 disposed quincuncially in close-set oblique rows: its lower edge remaining per- 

 fectly entire. Within its lower edge, and as it were imbedded in its substance, 

 so as to be discernible with difficulty and very inconspicuous, are several rows, 

 or rather an in-egular narrow band, of excessively fine, short, minute, bristle-like 

 teeth. Tlie lower lip is quite thin at the edge, and toothless : it is strongly 

 notched in the middle ; and within the notch, inside, there is a strong projecting 

 cartilaginous or bony tubercle, which is the termination of a prominent soft ridge 

 or keel within the mouth. The palatines and vomer are distinctly but very 

 finely scobinate or rough. The tongue is small, and also faintly rough. 



The opercles and cheeks are covered with large scales concealing their divisions, 

 and the former are unarmed and simple, close-pressed and compact. The preo- 

 percle is triangular, with a subacute angle, which is rather prominent backwards ; 

 and its edge, like that of the opercle, subopercle, and interopercle, is perfectly 

 entire. The edges of these three last form an even curve, resembling a quadrant 



