FISHES AS FOOD 



273 



distributed ground-fishes, living in shallow water. Among them 

 are the little Bull-Heads (Coitus), some of which are common on 

 our coasts, while one, the Miller's Thumb, is a familiar inhabitant 

 of our brooks. They are of no economic importance, though the 

 Germans make soup of the last-named form. The larger Gur- 

 nards, however, are valuable food-fishes, of which several are 

 British. They lay floating eggs. The head is large and covered 

 with strong plates, while some of the rays of the pectoral fins 

 are free and serve as feelers. The commonest native species are 

 the Grey Gurnard {Trigla gtirnardus) and the Red Gtirnard 



Fig. 1200. — Thin-lipped Grey Mullet [Mugil capita) 



{T. aiculus), both of which range from the Mediterranean to 

 Norway. The latter is most abundant in the English Channel, 

 and the former in the North Sea. 



The Grey Mullet Family (Mugilid^). — Grey Mullets are 

 handsome forms common on temperate and tropical coasts. They 

 frequent inlets and estuaries, where they feed on vegetable food. 

 There appear to be two species, the Thin-lipped and Thick-lipped 

 Grey Mullets {Mtigil capita, fig. 1 200, and M. chelo), which range 

 from the Mediterranean into British seas. Both are silver-grey in 

 colour with longitudinal black streaks, and distinguishable from 

 each other by the nature of the lips as indicated in their names. 

 They are taken in large numbers by seines and other nets on the 

 south coast of England, but the thick-lipped species seems to be 

 more common off the western part of this area. 



So far we have considered marine food-fishes, and it will be 



