Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 809 



small teeth, or none, the teeth various in form; premaxillaries protrac- 

 tile. Gill openings wide, the membranes separate, free from the isthmus. 

 Branchiostegals 5 or 6. Gill rakers long and slender. Gills 4, a slit behind 

 fourth. Pseudobranchlie large. Two short dorsal fins, well separated, 

 the anterior with 4 stiff spines, the last one of which is much shorter than 

 the others; second dorsal longer than the first, similar to anal; anal 

 spines 2 or .3, graduated; ventral fins abdominal, not far back, composed 

 of 1 spine and 5 rays; caudal forked. Air bladder large, simple. Intes- 

 tinal canal long. Peritoneum usually black. Vertebras 24. Genera 8 or 

 10; species about 100, inhabiting the fresh waters and coasts of warm 

 regions, feeding on organic matter contained in mud. "In the genus 

 Mugil, a considerable indigestible portion of the latter is swallowed, and 

 in order to prevent larger bodies from passing into the stomach, or sub- 

 stances from passing through the gill openings, these fishes have the 

 organs of the pharynx modified into a filtering apparatus. They take in 

 a quantity of sand or mud, and after having worked it for some time 

 between the pharyngeal bones, they eject the roughest and indigestible 

 portion of it. The upper pharyngeals have a rather irregular form; they 

 are slightly arched, the convexity being directed toward the pharyngeal 

 cavity, tapering anteriorly, and broad posteriorly. They are coated with 

 a thick, soft membrane, which reaches far beyond the margin of the bone, 

 and is studded all over with minute horny cilia. Each branchial arch is 

 provided with a series of long gill rakers, which are laterally bent down- 

 ward, each series closely fitting to the sides of the adjoining arch ; they 

 constitute together a sieve admirably adapted to permit a transit for the 

 water, retaining at the same time every solid substance in the cavity of 

 the pharynx." (Gunther.) (J/;(Y/i7;fZ«', Giinther, iii. Cat., 409-467, 1861.) 



a. Stomach muscular, gizzard-like; teeth slender, usually liaving the form of cilia; lower jaw 

 angular in front; species chiefly marine. 

 h. Anal spines 3; teeth ciliiforni, flexible. 



c. Orbit with a well-developed adipose eyelid, covering part of the iris; cilia in one or 

 few series, slender; cleft of mouth chiefly anterior. Mugil, 364. 



cc. Orbit without distinct adipose ej'elid. 



d. Cleft of mouth lateral; lower jaw narrow; upper jaw very thick and very pro- 

 tractile; cilia broad, in many scries, pavemout-like. Cit.'ENOMUGlL, 365. 

 hli. Anal spines 2, the first soft ray simple but articulate; teeth distinct, in a few series, 

 scarcely ciliiform, often obsolete in the lower jaw; lips thin; no adipose eyelid; 

 . preorbital serrate. Quebimana, 366. 

 Agonostomin.e-: 



air. Stomach not gizzard-like; teeth not ciliiform; lower jaw not angular in front; cleft of 

 mouth lateral; fresh-water species, inhabiting chiefly mountain torrents in the tropics. 

 c. Teeth in villiform bands. 



/. Anal spines 2; teeth in bands on jaws and vomer; lower jaw without lamelliform 



folds. AooNOSTOMUs, 367. 



ee. Teeth coarse, broad, truncate incisors, with their free edges serrate; smaller teeth on 



vomer; none on palatines; head heavy, the blunt, tumid snout overhanging the 



small, inferior mouth ; lower jaw forming a sharp soft edge. Joturu.s, 368. 



364. MUGIL (Artedi) Linnjeus. 

 (Mullets.) 



Mifjil (AiiTEPi) LiNN.v.rs, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1758, .^1C, {cejihnhis). 



Body oblong, somewhat compressed, covered with large scales. Head 

 large, convex, scaled above and on sides. Mouth small, subiuferior, the 



