COMMON MULLET. 135 



terranean and Northern seas, frequenting chiefly 

 the shallow parts near the shores, and feeding on 

 the smaller kind of worms, sea-insects, and veget- 

 ables : its general length is from twelve to fifteen 

 or sixteen inches, and its colour blueish grey, darker 

 on the back and silvery on the abdomen : the sides 

 are marked, like those of the Grayling, with several 

 dusky stripes, according to the rows of scales, which 

 are large and rounded : the fins are blueish : the 

 head is rather large, pointed in front, and somewhat 

 flattened at the top: the mouth small; the tongue 

 rough, and the throat armed at its entrance with 

 two roughened bones : the first dorsal fin, which is 

 situated on the middle of the back, consists of four 

 very strong rays* : the second dorsal fin is placed 

 opposite the anal, and has only soft rays : the base 

 of the dorsal and anal fin, as well as that of the tail, 

 is scaly, and the tail is forked or lunated. 



The Mullet is found not only in the European 

 seas, but in the Indian and Atlantic oceans : it is 

 observed to assemble frequently in small shoals 

 near the shore, in quest of food, burrowing into the 

 soft mud and leaving the trace of its head in the 

 form of a round hole. 



In the spring and early summer months this fish, 

 like the Salmon, ascends rivers to a considerable 

 distance, and when preparing for these expeditions 

 is observed in shoals near the surface of the water, 

 at which time the fishermen endeavour to avail 

 themselves of the opportunity of surrounding them 



* Of five, according to Linnaeus. 



