BY WILLIAM MACLEAY, F.L.S. 423 



I now come to two species placed by their respective authors 

 in the genus Mugil, but which appear to me to differ considerably 

 in appearance from all others of the genus, though possibly the}' 

 would not fit well into the following genus Agonostoma. One of 

 them is thus described by Count Castelnau : 



11. Mugil ventricosus, Casteln. 

 Eesearches on the Fishes of Australia, p. 32. 

 1 'Adipose eyelid not developed ; upper lip not particularly thick ; 

 anal fin with eight soft rays, lateral line with twenty-nine scales. 

 These characters would only allow this species to be placed with 

 Waigiensis, but it is very distinct by its form, &c. Height of the 

 body contained rather less than three times and a-half in the total 

 length of the fish ; the head is three times and a-quarter in the 

 same ; the general form of the body is oval and compressed ; the 

 upper profile regularly curved, and the lower one inflated on the 

 belly ; head broad, rather flat above ; the interorbital space is 

 contained twice and a-half in the length of the head ; this is 

 rather pointed, seen laterally the angle made by the anterior 

 margins of the mandibulary bones is very obtuse and emarginated 

 in front ; mandibules finely striated ; the free space at the chin 

 broadly lanceolate ; teeth very visible and numerous at the upper 

 jaw, the lower one rather crenulated on its edge ; eye rather large 

 contained three times and a-half in the length of the head ; the 

 anterior dorsal spine is large, and only contained once and a-half 

 in the length of the head ; the pectorals are contained once and 

 one-third in the same, and are inserted above the middle of the 

 depth of the body ; the ventrals are situated much nearer to the 

 perpendicular of the base of the pectorals than to the one of the 

 first dorsal ; the anal commences a little in advance of the opposite 

 dorsal fin, and both are scaly ; the least depth of the tail is 

 contained twice and a-half in the length of the head, or twice and 

 two-thirds in the thickest part of the body ; the colour after 

 having been in the liquor, is uniform silvery, with the upper part 



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