THE GREY AND THE THICK-LIPPED MULLET. 481 



being at the greatest height, which was near the head, six 

 inches ; in the middle four, and less towards the tail, with 

 406 rays. The tail fin was broken off. Of the breeding 

 and other habits of this fish nothing whatever seems to 

 be known. 



The Grey or Common Mullet (Gra iMulte, or, grey 

 mullet, Sw. ; Almindelig [_i. e. common] Hulte, Dan. ; 

 Mugil Capita, Cuv.) is scarce in the Bohus Skargard 

 (Ekstrom having met with only four specimens during his 

 long residence there), as also elsewhere on the western 

 coast of Sweden. On that of Norway it would seem to 

 be more common, especially in the vicinity of Bergen, 

 where we are told it is a stand-fisk, or, stationary fish ; 

 that is, one met with all the year round. 



The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet (Tjock-ldppad Multe, 

 Sw. ; Tyk-lcebed Multe, Dan. ; M. Chelo, Cuv.) is also, 

 according to Ekstrom, an inhabitant of our Skargard, 

 though now, he says, less frequent than formerly. Occa- 

 sionally one or both of the species named (for the matter 

 seems not quite clear) find their way into the Sound and 

 the Danish waters. Valenciennes, indeed, informs us on 

 the authority of Fischer and Georgi that these fish are 

 met with in the Baltic, on the coast of Livonia. But 

 Kroyer conceives there must be some error in this state- 

 ment, and that some large species of carp, such as the 

 Cyprinm Idus or the C. Jeses, has been mistaken for it. 

 On the south-west coast of Norway, however, the Thick- 

 lipped Mullet would appear to be pretty common, and to 

 remain at all seasons of the year. It is said to spawn 

 about Midsummer. This fish, Dr. Gunther says, is not 

 identical with the Mediterranean M. Chelo, Cuv., but a 

 separate species, for which he has proposed the name of 

 M. scptentrionalis. Kroyer inclines also to think that 

 they are specifically distinct. 



The Shanny (Pholis Icevis, Plem. ; jBlennius Pholif, 



2 i 



