THE GREY MULLET 



335 



The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet {Mttgil cheld). 



There is no lateral line. It reaches sometimes 2 or even 

 3 feet in length. The colour is silver}^-grey, with rows of dark 

 strokes along the sides. 



These fish swim in shoals, and sometimes many thousands 

 are enclosed in a large seine at one time. 



An advanced larva, believed to belong to this species, was 

 obtained from Mr. Dunn at Mevagissey, in May (Fig. 147). 

 It was iO'5 mm. long, or over | inch. The head and jaws 

 were well developed, but there were no fin-rays, except a few 

 commencing in the tail. The breast-fins were large and mem- 

 branous, and the primitive fin-membrane extended from the 





Fig. 147. — Larva of Grey Mullet, a little more than f inch long, alive and magnified. 



back round the hinder end of the body to the vent. Spawning 

 would therefore seem to commence at the end of April. I 

 obtained others a little more advanced in the middle of May, in 

 Cawsand Bay, Plymouth Sound. 



In July and August the young mullet are abundant at the 

 surface off the mouth of Plymouth Sound. These are f inch to 

 an inch long. A number of them were reared in the aquarium, 

 being fed on finely-minced marine worms, which they took 

 freely off plates suspended in the water, but their growth was 

 slow : in August of the following year they were only 2\ to 

 3 inches long. Whether this fairly represents the natural growth 

 in the sea there is no evidence to show, but I should think the 

 average size at one year of age would be somewhat greater 

 under the natural conditions. 



