412 ON THE MUGILIB^ OF AUSTRALIA. 



Mugil — without teeth in the jaws. 

 Agonostoma — small teeth, lower jaw rounded. 

 Mijxus — small teeth, lower jaw angular. 



To these, Kner, in the Fishes of the No vara, page 276, has 

 added the genus Pseudomugil, founded on a small fish of Port 

 Jackson, which I have never seen, hut it is certainly not properly 

 one of the 3fugilid(c, and I shall not therefore include it in the 

 family. 



MUGIL, Artedi. 



This is the chief genus of the family, it is of world-wide 

 distribution, of numerous species, and of high reputation as a 

 food fish. 



The following are the Australian species : — 



A. Adipose eyelid, lips thin. 



Mugil grakdis, Oasteln. 



Proceedings of the Linn. Soc. of N. S. W., Vol. 3, p. 386. 



The description given of this species by the Count de Castelnau 

 is so complete and elaborate that I can offer very little in addition. 

 The male is proportionally shorter than the female, and most 

 remarkably so about the snout. 



This is the well-known "Sea Mullet " of the fishermen, the 

 largest and best of the species found on our Eastern Coasts. It 

 visits our harbours and inlets every year in enormous successive 

 shoals, at periods varying from the middle of March to the latter 

 end of May. These shoals always appear to be proceeding in a 

 northerly direction, but we have no evidence that they come from 

 deep-water, or that they are ever seen excepting close to the 

 shore. At the season of their appearance in these large shoals, 

 they are full of roe and in the finest condition, indeed I think 

 that in richness and delicacy of flavour a good Sea Mullet surpasses 

 even the Salmon. 



