GREY MULLETS 235 



mouths, they are very difficult to hook ; moreover, 

 as they plunge and leap, rivalling the Trout in 

 gameness, the hook is often torn from their tender 

 mouths. 



The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet spawns about 

 May, usually in the sea ; in July and August the 

 fry, about three-fourths of an inch long, may be seen 

 swimming in shoals at the surface ; some of these 

 were placed in the aquarium at Plymouth, and by 

 the following August had attained a length of 2 J to 

 3 inches. 



All the Grey Mullets are held in high estimation 

 as food, especially in continental countries ; they 

 will thrive and fatten in freshwater ponds, and are 

 said to be improved by this treatment. 



