53 * M U L L E T. Class IV. 



the diftrefies that the invader of another's bed un- 

 derwent, he mod certainly alludes to this penalty : 



DifcincJd tunica fugiendum eft, ac pede nudo ; 



Ne nummi pereant, aut Pyga, aut denique fama** 



The mullet is an excellent fifh for the table, 

 but at prefent not a fafhionable one. 



The head is almoft fquare, and is flat on the 

 top : the nofe blunt : lips thick. It has no teeth, 

 only in the upper lip is a fmall roughnefs : between 

 the eyes and the mouth is a hard callus. 



The pupil of the eye is black, encircled with a 

 fmall filvery line : the upper part of the iris is 

 hazel ; the lower filvery. 



The form of the body is pretty thick, but the 

 back not greatly elevated. The fcales are large 

 and deciduous. 



The firft dorfal fin is placed near the middle of 

 the back, and confifts of four ftrong fpines ; the 

 fecond of nine foft branching rays; the pectoral 

 has fixteen, the ventral fix ; the firft a ftrong 

 fpine, the others foft. 



The tail is much forked. 



The color of the back is dufky, varied with 

 blue and green : the fides filvery, marked with 

 broad dufky parallel lines, reaching from head to 

 tail : the belly is filvery. 



* Satyr. II. lib. I. 132.. 



Head 



