HISTORY OF THE FISHES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 167 



FAMILY VII. MUGILnXE. 



Body almost cylindrical, covered with large scales, and furnished with two distinct 

 dorsal fins, the first of which has only four spinous rays. Head rather depressed, also 

 covered with large scales or polygonal plates. Muzzle very short. Teeth very fine, 

 sometimes scarcely perceptible. The ventrals are attached somewhat behind the pecto- 

 rals. Branchiostegous rays, six. 



GENUS I. MUGIL, LIN. 



Ventrals placed a short distance behind the pectorals. The first dorsal with four spi- 

 nous rays. The middle of the under jaw tuberculated within, and a corresponding cavity 

 in the upper jaw. Teeth very small. 



MUGIL LINEATUS, Mitch. 

 The Striped Mullet. 



(PLATE XVI. FIG. 4.) 



Mugil lineatus, MITCH., MS. communicated to Cuvier. 



Le Mut/e rdyt (Mugil lineatus, MITCH.), CUT. et VAL., Hist. Nat. de8 Poiss., II. p. 96. 



Mugil lineatus, DEKAY, Report, p. 144, pi. 15, fig. 42. 



" " ATRES, Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist., V. p. 265, pi. 12. 



" " SIORER, Mem. Amer. Acad., New Series, n. 367. 



" " " Synopsis, p. 115. 



Color. Dusky grayish-blue above, thence to steel and to dirty silvery, with metallic 

 reflections upon lower sides and abdomen. Sides throughout their whole depth from 

 back to centre of belly marked with continuous longitudinal and parallel lines, equidistant, 

 of little over a hair's breadth, and passing through the centre of each scale ; the two up- 

 per reach over the top of the head to the snout ; their number is from ten to fourteen. 

 Snout and upper operculum clouded with greenish fuliginous ; lower operculum a clear 

 silver. Pupils black, irides yellowish. All the fins save the ventrals clouded with dusky, 

 even the membrane of first dorsal. Second dorsal and caudal the darkest, the terminal 

 margin of the latter edged with very dark brown. A deep purplish spot at upper base of 

 pectorals. 



Description. Body nearly cylindrical ; dorsal outline somewhat convex, especially gib- 

 bous in region of second dorsal. Depth of body equal to length of head ; depth near tail 

 about one half of greatest depth. 



Head moderate ; its length about one fifth that of the entire fish ; somewhat flattened 



