232 ACAJSTTHOPTERYGn. 



Habitat. — This species would seem to be very rare on tbe coast of Norway, 

 but was possibly the form captured oflf Denmark in the Cattegat, October Stb, 

 1862. Occasionally taken on the shores of the German Ocean, becomes more 

 numerous along the south and south-west coasts of Great Britain, and the Cape of 

 Good Hope. It extends through the Mediterranean to the fresh water lakes of 

 Tunis, and in the Nile certainly so far as Cairo. 



In the British Isles some confusion respecting its distribution exists. Many of 

 the recorded Scotch examples may belong to M. chelo, but the British Museum 

 has received specimens from the Firth of Forth. It would seem to be occasionally 

 taken off the Yorkshire coast (Meynell, 1844), and is said to be resident and local, 

 but its distribution requires investigation (Yorkshire Fauna, 1881). I have 

 obtained many examples, but all from the south and south-west coast, captured 

 between the months of September and March inclusive. It is said to occur 

 constantly on the Kentish and Essex shores (Yarrell). 



In Ireland this species was not found by Thompson, who however only had 

 the opportunity of examining mullets from the east coast. In the Cork Fauna 

 (1845), Dr. Harvey gives M. capita as certainly present, and M. chelo with doubt. 



The example figured is 7| inches in length, and came from Brixham. This 

 fish exceeds 3 feet in length. 



2. Mugil chelo, Plate LXVII. 



OJielon, Rondel. Pise, i, lib. ix, c. 6, p. 266 ; Gesner, Aquat. iv, p. 652 ; 

 Willughby, iv, c. 4 ; Ray, Syn. p. 84. Mulct chaluc, Duham. Peches, iii, sect, 

 vi, c. 2, p. 147. 



Mugil cephalus, Donovan, Brit. Fish, i, pi. xv ; Turton, Brit. Faun. p. 106 ; 

 Fleming, Brit. An. p. 217 ; Neill, Wem. Mem. i, p. 544 ; Templeton, Mag. Nat. 

 Hist. (2) 1837, i, p. 409. 



Mugil chelo, Cuv. Rfegne Anim. ; Bonap. Faun. Ital. Peso, vi, H ; Cuv. and 

 Val. xi, p. 50, pi. xxxix ; Yarrell, Brit. Fishes (Ed. 1), i, p. 207, c. fig. (Ed. 2) i, 

 p. 241 (Ed. 3) ii, p. 182 ; Jenyns, Man. p. 376 ; Johnston, Berwick. Nat. Field 

 Club, 1838, i, p. 171 ; Thompson, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1837, p. 57, and Nat. Hist. 

 Ireland, iv, p. 100 ; Parnell, Wern. Mem. vii, p. 228, t. xxviii, and Fishes Firth 

 of Forth, p. 68, pi. xxviii ; Guichen. Explor. Alger. Poissons, p. 67 ; Nordm. in 

 Demid. Voy. Russ. Merid. p. 396 ; White, Catal. p. 27 ; Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 

 464; Schlegel, Dieren Neder. p. 26, t. v, f . 1 ; Steind. Ich. Span. u. Port. 1868, p. 

 17 ; Nilss. Skand. Faun, iv, p. 177 ; Collett, Norges Fiske, p. 88, and Christ. Vid. 

 Selsk. Forh. 1879, p. 60 ; Giglioli, Peso. Ital. p. 33 ; Moreau, Poiss. France, iii, p. 

 195 ; Winther, Ich. Dan. Mar. p. 24. 



Mugil provensalis, Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 346. 



Mugil lahrosus, Risso, Eur. Merid. iii, p. 389. 



Mugil cephalus, var. B., De la Roche, Ann. Mus. xiii, p. 358, t. xxi, f. 7 ; 

 Schagerstr. Vet. Akad. Handl. 1829, p. 90, t. iii, f. 1. 



Mugil capita, Nilss. Prod. p. 69. 



Mugil septentrionalis, Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 455. 



Lesser grey mullet, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 15, pi. cxxiii. 



{Varieties.) 

 Mugil curtus, Yarrell, Brit. Fishes (Ed. 1), i, p. 210, c. fig. (Ed. 2) i, p. 245 

 (Ed, 3), ii, p. 186; Cuv. and Val. xi, p. 70, pi. cccxi; Jenyns, p. 376; White, 

 Catal, p. 28 ; Giinther, Catal. iii, p. 439, 



B. vi, D. 4/1, P. 17, V. 1/6, A. -,-\o- C. 15, L. 1. 43-46, L. tr. 15-16, Ccec. pyl. 

 5-7, Vert. 11/13. 



Length of head 4| to 5, of caudal fin 5J, height of body 4i to 5 times in the 

 total length.* Uyes — without adipose lids, the diameter of each 4-^ in the length 



* But this last proportion, as remarked by Thompson, is liable to great fluctuations ; taking five 

 examples which were all equally firm and solid, and each of (Jig same length — two feet — he found 

 they weighed 5J, 6, 6J, 7, and 8 lb, respectively. 



