348 Dr. A. Giinther on the British Species of Mugil. 



pointed scale in the axil of the pectoral, and no black spot at 

 its root. 



This species is not only new to the British fauna, but also to 

 science, and is founded on a single well-preserved specimen in the 

 British Museum, presented by Mr. Gerrard. It resembles M. 

 auratus in general appearance, from which, however, it differs 

 in several characters so well marked, that it will be readily distin- 

 guished whenever it occurs. It has only eight soft rays in the 

 anal fin, whilst all the other European species have nine, except M. 

 cephalus and, perhaps, M. curtus. There is no possibility of its 

 being confounded with the former, which has broad adipose eye- 

 lids, and is not found on the British coasts, whilst M. curtus is 

 distinguished by an unusually short body, being only four times 

 as long as deep. Variations in the number of the anal rays are 

 of extremely rare occurrence in the Mullets ; therefore we are not 

 justified in considering the small number in the present specimen 

 as such an exception, and in ranking the specimen as a variety of 

 M. auratus. It differs in several other points besides : the cleft 

 of the mouth is deeper than in M. auratus ; the free space at the 

 chin is twice as long, and extends between the interopercles ; the 

 pectoral is shorter. Nothing can be said of the occurrence of 

 this species on any particular part of the coast ; perhaps it is 

 scarcer than its congeners. The attention of British naturalists 

 being now directed to this species, we may hope soon to have 

 better information on its natural history. 



4. Mugil curtus, Yarr. (The Short Grey Mullet.) 

 Eight (?) soft rays in the anal fin; lips thin; no adipose eye- 

 lid. The height of the body equals the length of the head, and 

 is one-fourth of the total length. 



This is all that is known of this species, but quite sufficient to 

 recognize it, if it should occur again on the British coast. Yarrell 

 had a single veiy young specimen, 26 lines long, which, to 

 judge from the figure, does not appear to have been in a good 

 state of preservation ; it has not been preserved in his collection, 

 which was transferred to the British Museum. Valenciennes 

 professes to have recognized the species in a Mullet from the 

 Somme, eight inches long ; he does not give a fuller description 

 thanYarrell; and the figure added (Cuv.etVal.Hist.Poiss.pl.311) 

 distinctly shows nine anal rays, the last two being as distant from 

 each other as the seventh is from the eighth. The pectoral ap- 

 pears to have a short pointed scale in its axil. Yet there can be 

 no doubt that a Short-bodied Grey Mullet exists on the European 

 coasts ; but whether the specimen described by Valenciennes is 

 of the same species as that found by Yarrell, is a question the 

 solution of which must be left to further investigation. 



