72 THE FRESH- WATER FISHES OF EUROPE. 



blunter than in the variety M. septentrionalis, and is broad and depressed. 

 The width of the inter-orbital space is about half the length of the head. 

 The upper lip is remarkably thick, with three rows of broad white papillae on 

 its lower half. They are soft, but have the aspect of teeth. There is a slight 

 ridge on the pre-orbital bone, which commonly has a rounded extremity, and 

 does not cover the maxillary bone. 



The two bones of the mandible meet at an obtuse angle. There is no fatty 

 eyelid. The nostrils are close together, and the space on the chin between 

 the mandibular bones is very narrow, when it exists at all, and not longer 

 than the eye. The first two spines of the first dorsal fin are long. The root 

 of the pectoral fin is somewhat above the middle of the body; the extremity 

 of the fin reaches back to the thirteenth scale. The first dorsal fin commences 

 at the fifteenth, and the second dorsal at the twenty-fifth scale. 



The ventral fin is midway between the pectoral and the spinous dorsal. 

 As in other Grey Mullets, six or seven dark stripes extend longitudinally along 

 the scales. The scales are higher than long. 



As in the other species, the back is bluish -grey, and the abdomen silvery. 

 The pectoral fin is yellow, with a dark spot towards the upper part of the 

 base. The species reaches a length of about a foot and a half. 



Miigil septentrionalis (GUNTHER). 



1 D. 4, 2 D. 1/8, A. 3/9. 



This form is essentially a northern variety of Mtigil chelo. 



The thick-lipped Grey Mullet is a gregarious fish, first recognised in the 

 mouths of British rivers by Mr. Jonathan Couch. It enters fresh waters in 

 the winter months, when it is often left in pools by the retiring tide. Like all 

 the Mullets which have been observed, it has the habit of escaping from nets 

 by leaping over the head-line. 



This is a northern representative of the Mtigil chelo, and is common on the 

 British and Scandinavian coasts, where it may reach a length of two feet. It is 

 distinguished from M. chelo, by the shorter pectoral fin, longer tail, thinner upper 

 lip, different form of pre-orbital bone, and by having five pyloric appendages, 

 instead of seven. Dr. Giinther states that the number of vertebrae is the 

 same as in M. chelo eleven in the abdomen, and thirteen in the tail. The head 

 is about one-fifth of the total length, or a little less. The snout is blunt ; the 

 width of the inter-orbital space is half the length of the head. The lower third 

 of the thick upper lip is whitish, and covered with two rows of Hat tooth -like 

 papillae. The nostrils are near the orbits. There is no fatty eyelid. The 



