THE THICK-LIPPED GREY MULLET. 103 



Chelo it is, however, far otherwise, as the contents of the stomachs I have ex- 

 amined at various seasons, presented, from the minute size of the objects, many 

 Imndred-fold greater destruction of animal Ufe than I have ever witnessed on a 

 similar inspection of the food of any bird or fish. From a single stomacli I 

 have obtained what would fill a large-sized breakfast cup of the following 

 species of bivalve and univalve mollusca (which had been taken alive)— il/y- 

 tilus edulis, Modiola Papuana (of these very small individuals), Ke Ilia rubra, 

 Skenea dejjressa, Littorina retusa, Jiissoa labiosa and B. parra, Serpulce 

 and Miliolce. Of these mollusca, specimens of Rissoa labiosa, three lines in 

 length, were the largest, and the Kellia rubra, from the smallest size to its 

 maximum of little more than a line diameter, the most abundant. In the pro- 

 fusion of specimens it affords, the stomach of one of these mullets is quite a 

 store-house to a conchologist. In addition to these were various species of mi- 

 nute Crustacea. The only inanimate matter that appeared, were fragments of 

 Zostei-a marina and Confervcc, which were probably taken into the stomach on 

 account of the adhering mollusca. To this nutricious food may perhaps be at- 

 tributed the great size this fish attains in Belfast Bay. 



" In the Rcgne Animal (t. ii. p. 232, 2nd ed.), Pennant's figure of the grey mul- 

 let in his British Zoology is referred to as M. Capita, but in the Hist, des Poiss. 

 of Cuv. and Val. (t. xi. p. 66) it is believed to represent 31. Chelo. In this last 

 work Donovan's figure of the mullet (Brit. Fish. pi. 15) is considered a very 

 good representation of M. Chelo. With this opinion I fully coincide, although 

 Yarrell and Jenyns refer to both figures as M. Capito.* The descriptions of 

 Pennant and Donovan throw no light upon the subject, nor are Ave informed 

 whence the specimens were obtained that served for their illustrations. Pen- 

 nant's figure exhibits the longitudinal lines reaching about as far as they ge- 

 nerally do in M. Chelo; but Donovan, on the other hand, portrays them as ex- 

 tending to the ventral profile ; in the more important characters, however, of the 

 form of the operculum and mouth, his figure represents this species. I may 

 add, tliat its greater than ordinary depth, whicli induced Mr. Yarrell to remark 

 that the proportions of Donovan's grey mullet approach ' more closely to those 

 of M. curtus than to those of the common grey mullet of this country,' (Brit. 

 Fish. vol. i. p. 211,) seems not to me, from the great diversity of depth in dif- 

 ferent individuals, to militate against its being the M. Chelo. 



" The following is a description of a specimen examined on the 21st of July. 

 Total length, 22 inches ; greatest depth, 5^ in.; thickness, Z\ in. ; weight 5 lbs. 

 D. 4—1 I 8 ; A. 2 I 9 ; P. 17 ; V. 1 I 5 ; C. 14.— Br. 6. Inform it well agrees 

 with the detailed description of Cuv. and Val., t. xi. p. 51, et seq.f The colour 

 of the back is, as there described, of a fine steel blue ; thence it becomes gra- 

 dually lighter towards the under surface, which is pure opaque white, glossed 

 with silver; a blackish line extends throughout the centre of the first ten rows 

 of scales, ending with the row beneath the base of the P. fin, and giving to the 

 fish its lincated appearance. Entire top of tlie head and upper lip greyish black ; 

 sides of the head just behind the eyes deep gold colour; lower part of the head 

 or base of the opercula pure white ; irides purplish black ; outer base of P. fin, 

 and the body above and below it, tinged witli gold; remainder of the P., the D., 

 C, and A. fins greyish black, the last becoming lighter posteriorly. V. fins white, 

 tinged with very pale flesh colour. 



" This specimen accords witli the description extracted by Mr. Yarrell from the 

 Fauna Italica, with one exception — ' the rays of the spiny D. fin [are there 

 stated to be] longer than half the depth of the body '• — (vol. i. p. 208). In this 

 individual they are only \ of its depth. In another specimen 20 inches long, the 

 1st and 2nd D. rays are equal, and V\ inch long, the depth of the fish being 

 about 5 inches. In an individual of 11 inches the 2nd D. ray is equal to one- 



* Mr. Yarrell has taken it for granted that the Irish mullet is of this species, 

 vol. i. p. 202. 



t The sca.\es c/eneralli/ agree in every particular with the description at p. 52, 

 but some do not either in proportion or sculpture. 



