330 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



foniu'd ;il)ovt' the anterior ]>art of the spinal coluiau, 

 I)ack to the insertion o\' the tirst doi'sal tin. All this 

 singular development of bone gives increased tirmness 



The shape of the preorbital l)one too, is often of 

 importance in the determination of the species. The 

 outer, externally visible part is sipiare; but in its en- 



to the front part of the body, and strengthens the points . tirety the bone is rather triangular or polygonal, with 



of origin of the upper lateral muscles of the body and 

 tiie marginal nuiscles of the back. The same strength 

 is siven to the lateral muscles of the lower iiart of the 



the posterior and lower (anterior) margins sharply ser- 

 rated. In front of and below this lione, and often, when 

 the mouth is closed, entirelv concealed bv it, lies the 



bodv and those of the pectoral hns bv the deeply in- singularly bent and twisted maxillary bone. The arti- 



cavated hind margin of the claviculai- bone. This bone i cular process of tlie latter is S-shaped and directed at 



is also furnished on the innei- side with a iiainate pro- a right angle inwards, and is furnished |iosterioi-ly with 



cess. Each of the pelvic l)ones is suspended posteriorly a long, convex, articular surface, tuiaied towards the 



b\- a liiiament from the lower postclavicular bone and point of tlie ethmoid bone and the top of the head of 



anteriorly from the lower end of the clavicular bone. the vomer, ^\■hich jn-ojects in front of the latter, and 



The anterior branchiostegal rays are almost filiform, the 

 posterior distally extended and sword-like. The large 

 opercula. are longitudinally arched at the top, and thus 

 serve both as the roof and outer wall of the gill-cavity. 

 They are (juadrilateral in shape, but the lower posterior 

 corner is obliquelv I'ounded. Tlie preoperculum is more 

 or less nearly rectangular, with the anterior margin in- 

 cavated. Both the subopercuhim and the interoperculura 



anteriorlv, further in, with a similar articular surface, 

 turned towards the nasal process of the intermaxillary 

 bones. The shaft of the maxillaTy lione is also bent 

 and terete or, at all events, uniforndv nai'row, with the 

 hind part uku'c or less crooked; and on its inner side 

 we often find a ^vand-shaped process, ])ointing in a l>ack- 

 ward (upward) direction. The intermaxillary bones are 

 short and deep. The mandilile is so twisted that the 



are well-developed and fairlj' uniform in breadth, the dental part is horizontal, with tiie dental margin turned 

 latter lieing, however, as usual narrower in front. As ; outAvards and forwards and the ])Osterior articular (an- 



a rule too, they are covered with scales, as well as, in 

 many cases, the posterior (angular) jiart of the undei" 

 surface of the branches of the lower jaw. The inter- 

 opercula generally, and the branches of the lower jaw 

 sometimes, meet or even ci'oss each other to a greater 

 or less extent under the throat. The liranches of the 

 lower jaw, however, generallv leave a naked chin-space" 

 ])etween them, the size and shape of which may some- 

 times be of use as a- specific distinction. In cases where 

 the intero]jercula do not quite touch, this chin-surface 

 is continued backwards by the bare part of the bran- 

 chiostegal membranes, which cross each other anteriorly, 

 under the isthmus. 



gular) part inwards and l)ackwards. 



As ^\■e can easily see from the above description, 

 the Mugiloids have several points of resemblance to the 

 Cj'prinoids; l)ut the nijost striking external resemblance, 

 the broad dorsal side of the forepart in conjunction 

 with the high jjosition of the |)ectoral fins, guides us 

 towards the Svonihrcsoclthe and, nearest <jf all, to the 

 Flying-fish. Both the comparisons involve soft-rayed 

 fishes, and gain still further significance by the ab- 

 dominal position of the \entral fins. Among the 

 Acanthopterygians the Mugiloids and Atherines occup}' 

 a somewhat isolated position. 



Genus MUGIL. 



No fccfli piojier; mobile, setiform tentli, exteriiaUij visible, as a nile, oiilij in tite upjier Jair ; imirniit af the iimii- 

 tJihh' sJinrp; month tmnsverseh/ placed, and its breadth greater than its length. Nostrils set on tlie upper side of 

 the short and blunt siunif, the anterior bein;/ snndt and roninl. the /nisti'fior oblonf/ and transverse. Pijloric jnut 



of tJie stomach Jiif/hli/ ninsiidar. 



By this limitation the genus Mtifjil is exclusively 

 reser\ed for the most typical forms among the Gray 



Mullets. In spite of this, the genus contains by far the 

 greater part of the family, jjerhaps some seventy spe- 



" IVii' spare at the cliin, lieticecii tlie maiii/iMe.i: GOn-I'IIEk; espace juijiilaive: MoiiRAU. 



