THE GREY MULLET. 225 



Genus MUGIL. — Body possessing no broad silvery band y y\L 

 along each side ; first dorsal fin with four spiny rays, 



Mugil capito.* — The Grey Mullet. 



Specific Characters. — Maxillary visible when the mouth is closed ; 

 orifices of the nostril near together ; the skin at the margin of the 

 orbit not advancing upon the eye ; scale above the pectoral short 

 and obtuse. (See Plate XXVIII.) 



Description. — Back but little elevated ; ventral line more convex 

 than the dorsal ; greatest depth beneath the first dorsal about one- 

 fourth of the whole length, excluding caudal; greatest thickness 

 nearly two-thirds of the depth. Head broad and depressed ; snout 

 short, transversely blunt and rounded, but vertically sharp ; mouth 

 very protractile, transverse angular. Teeth in the jaws scarcely per- 

 ceptible ; on the tongue, vomer, and palatines, more developed ; 

 maxillary visible when the mouth is closed, and not retiring beneath 

 the infra orbital ; upper lip rather thick and fleshy, margined with 

 a number of close-set minute pectinations. Eyes rather high up ; the 

 skin at the anterior and posterior margins of the orbit not advancing 

 over any portion of the iride ; nostrils double on each side : the two 

 orifices placed near together, the anterior one round, the posterior 

 one oblong ; head smooth, all the upper part covered with large po- 

 lygonal scales. Scales on the body large, but smaller than the above, 

 deciduous ; first dorsal commencing about the middle, its height 

 twice its length ; spines strong ; the first two equal and longest ; se- 

 cond dorsal considerably behind the first, its height and length the 

 same as in that fin; all the rays, except the first, branched; caudal 

 forked ; anal rather in advance of the second dorsal, somewhat longer 

 than that fin, but of the same height ; pectorals about three-fourths 

 of the length of the head ; second, third, and fourth rays longest ; 

 all the rays, except the first, branched ; ventrals a little behind the 

 pectorals, close together, somewhat shorter ; first ray strongly spi- 

 nous; second soft ray longsst. Number of fin rays — 



D. 4-9 ; A. 3-9 ; C. 14 ; P. 17 ; V. 1-5 ; B. 6. 



Colours. — Back dusky blue ; sides and belly silvery, the former 

 marked with several parallel longitudinal dark lines. 



The above description is taken from Jenyns's Vertebrate Animals. 



■ Mugil capito, Cuv., Yar., Jen. Mugil cephalus, Penn., Don., Flem. 

 VOL. VII. P 



