416 ON THE MUGILIDiE OF AUSTRALIA, 



nearly equal to the length of the head. The soft dorsal is 

 considerably higher than long, as high as the spinous, and has 

 the upper edge slightly emarginate ; a few scales cover the 

 anterior rays. Caudal forked. The anal commences a litttle before 

 the opposite dorsal fin, is higher than long, and rather higher 

 and not more scaly, than the dorsal. Pointed scales of moderate 

 length in the axil of the first dorsal, of the pectoral, and of the 

 ventral. Colour greenish shining golden ; fins minutely dotted 

 with blackish." 



Dr. Grimther mentions specimens of this fish in the British 

 Museum from Australia, and Aneiteum, and Count Castelnau 

 points out its indentity with the well-known " Hard-gut Mullet " 

 of the Sydney fisherman. 



It is a much smaller fish than 31. grandis, but equally good, and 

 equally abundant in the spawning season. The shoals generally 

 make their appearance before those of M. grandis, and penetrate 

 higher up the rivers into fresh water. 



3. MlJGIL CEPHALOTUS, C. & V. 



(Translated from the German of Prof. Kner, " Yoyage of the 

 Novara," page 224.) 



The height of the body is 5 — 5^ in the total length, and nearly 

 equal to the length of the head, in which the width of the fore- 

 head between the eyes is contained 2^ times ; the adipose eyelid 

 strongly developed, anteriorly and posteriorly; the upper lip 

 thin ; the edge of the inner and sub-maxilla3 thickly beset with 

 cilire, these last rectangular at the junction, and larger ; the 

 palate has on either side two longish patches of very fine velvety 

 teeth, and the tongue is rough ; prceorbital is long, and is thickly 

 dentated on its under and hinder edge. The angle of the 

 prasoperculuin springs close behind with a blunted point. The 

 first dorsal begins exactly in the centre of the length of the body, 

 and the ventrals are in the middle between it and the base of the 

 pectorals. The large scales of the top of the head are deeply 



