papular Btrttonarj) of &nim<itctt jtaturc. 437 



Atlantic, but ranging through the African 

 Atlantic to the Cape of Good Hope. They 

 enter bays and the mouths of rivers in large 

 shoals, and have the habit of leaping high 

 out of the water. [See MULLET.] 



MULE. A hybrid animal between the 

 horse and the ass, differing in size, strength, 

 and beauty, according to the predominance 

 of its parental species ; those between a male 

 ass and a mare being far superior to the pro- 

 geny of a she-ass with a horse. In moun- 

 tainous countries Mules are highly service- 

 able ; no beast of burden being either so 

 sure-footed, or so capable of enduring fatigue; 

 but in beauty of form they fall very short of 

 that noble quadruped the Horse : the Mule 

 having a large, clumsy head, long erect ears, 

 a short mane, and a thin tail. In Spain, Por- 

 tugal, Italy, the East, and in South America, 

 this animal is much valued for the saddle, 

 and for drawing carriages. Savoy produces 

 very large ones, but the finest are bred in 

 Spain. They are sometimes fifteen or six- 

 teen hands high, thick set, and capable of 

 travelling, for months together, with six or 

 eight hundred weight on their backs. It 

 has been thought that they are altogether 

 incapable of producing their kind ; but some 

 few instances have occurred in which fe- 

 male Mules have had foals, and in which 

 the male has impregnated females, both of 

 the horse and ass species. Such instances 

 are, however, very rare. 



MULLET. The name given to two ge- 

 nera of Acanthopterygious fishes, viz. the 

 gray Mullets (Mugil), and the red Mullets 

 (JfuHus}. The former are distinguished by 

 a nearly cylindrical body covered with large 

 scales ; six branchiostegous rays ; head 

 somewhat depressed, the scales large ; the 

 muzzle short ; an angular rise in the middle ! 



MUGIl, CEPHALT33. 



of the lower jaw which fits into a corre- 

 sponding hollow in the upper ; and very 

 minute teeth. 



The GRAY MULLET. (Mitrjil capt'to.) This 

 is a common inhabitant of the .Mediterra- 

 nean and Northern seas, where it is chiefly 

 found frequenting the shallow water near 

 the shores ; nor is it by any means uncom- 

 mon on our own western and southern 

 coasts. Its general length is from twelve to 

 fifteen inches ; its colour bluish-gray, darker 

 on the back, and silvery underneath : the 

 sides are marked with several dusky stripes ; 

 and the fins have a tinge of bluish-white : 

 the head is rather large, pointed In front, 

 and somewhat flattened at the top ; cheeks 

 and operculum silvery white ; the mouth 

 small, and the tongue rough : the first dorsal 



fin, which is situated on the middle of the 

 hack, consists of four very strong rays ; the 

 second dorsal fin, placed opposite the anal, 

 has only soft rays ; and the tail is consider- 

 ably forked. In the spring and early 

 summer months this fish, like the salmon, 

 ascends rivers to a considerable distance, 

 and tthen preparing for these expeditions is 

 observed in shoals near the surface of the 

 water ; but they are so extremely wary mid 

 active, that when surrounded by a net, the 

 whole shoal frequently escapes by leaping 

 over it. They rise freely at the flics used 

 for trout, and when hooked, require great 

 care in the management of them, as they 

 are strong in the water, and plunge vio- 

 lently. They are fond of rooting in the 

 sand or soft mud in search of food, leaving 

 ample evidence of their having been so em- 

 ployed, in the round holes made by them in 

 the operation. 



The THICK-LIPPED GRAY MULLET. (Mu- 

 rjfl cJielo.) This species is distinguished from 

 the foregoing chiefly by its large and fleshy 

 lips, the edges of which are ciliated, and 

 through their thickness the teeth penetrate 

 like so many hairs. Body solid ; scales 

 large ; tail broad and concave : colour of 

 the head and back greenish ; all besides sil- 

 very, with six or seven parallel lines along 

 the sides, of the same colour as the back. 

 This species is common on many parts of 

 the Devonshire coast in the autumn, and is 

 also occasionally seen in larger shoals on 

 the east coast of Scotland. 



The SHOUT GRAY MULLET. {Mtigil curias.) 

 This is a smaller and less well-known species 

 than either of the preceding : the body is 

 also deeper in proportion ; the head wider, 

 more triangular and pointed ; the eye larger 

 in proportion ; and the fin-rays longer, par- 

 ticularly those of the tail. In colour it nearly 

 resembles the species first described. 



The AMERICAN MULLET. (Mugil albula.) 

 A fish greatly allied to the common Mullet, 

 but of a more slender form : mouth small 

 and toothless ; tail large and forked. It 

 inhabits the American seas, and is abundant 

 about the Bahama Islands. Its flesh is con- 

 sidered excellent. 



Fish of the genus Hvllus are distinguished 

 by the oblique form of their head ; "by two 

 long appendages under the chin, and large 

 scales on the head and body, which are easily 

 detached ; the body oblong, and generally 

 of a red or yellow colour ; and the eyes 

 situated very close to each other. 



The PLAIN RED MULLET. (Multus bar- 

 batus.~) This fish is caught 3n the Mediter- 

 ranean ; and its usual length is about six 

 inches. The head is remarkable for its almost 

 vertical profile : the body is pretty thick; 

 the back is rather flat ; and from the head 

 to the tail the fish gradually diminishes in 

 thickness. In colour and general appearance 

 it very much resembles the species just de- 

 scribed : the scales are thin and easily sepa- 

 rated, and when rubbed off, the skin itself 

 appears of a brighter red. It is general 

 considered as a very delicate fish ; and 

 celebrated for hating been the fashionable 



