THICK-LIPPED GREY MULLET. 207 



ACANTHOPTERYGIL MUGIL1D&. 



THE THICK-LIPPED GREY MULLET. 



Mugil chelo, CUVIER, Regne An. t. ii. p. 232. 



labrosus, Risso, Hist. Nat. t. Hi. p. 389. 



,, chelo, P. MUSIGNANO, Faun. Ital. pt. vi. 



COUCH, MS. 



MR. COUCH appears to be the only naturalist who has 

 noticed the appearance of Mugil chelo on the British coast. 

 A decided difference observed in the habits of this Grey 

 Mullet compared with those of M. capita led to an ex- 

 amination of its specific characters, and a knowledge of 

 the fact that it was a distinct species, which, though well 

 known to modern Continental Ichthyologists, had not pre- 

 viously been noticed by observers here. 



Mr. Couch's communication is as follows : 

 " This Grey Mullet is gregarious, frequenting harbours 

 and the mouths of rivers in the winter months in large 

 numbers, all of which are just of one size. I have heard 

 of so many as two tons being taken at one time : but the 

 fish which I shall here describe was taken with about four 

 hundred others as they were left in a pool of our river, 



