390 Mr YarrelFs History of British Fishes. 



of Europe, is the reverse of that which, according to their theory, 

 ought to have happened. It is known that this fish is now taken, 

 even on some parts of our own coast, in every month of the year. 

 It is probable that the mackerel inhabits almost the whole of the 

 European seas ; and the law of nature, which obliges them and 

 many others to visit the shallower water of the shores at a particu- 

 lar season, appears to be one of those wise and bountiful provisions 

 of the Creator, by which, not only is the species perpetuated with 

 the greatest certainty, but a large portion of the parent animals are 

 thus brought within the reach of man ; who, but for the action of 

 this law, would be deprived of many of those species most valuable 

 to him as food. For the mackerel, dispersed over the immense sur- 

 face of the deep, no effective fishery could be carried on ; but, ap- 

 proaching the shore as they do from all directions, and roving along 

 the coast collected in immense shoals, millions are caught, which 

 yet form but a very small portion compared with the myriads that 

 escape."* 



The Dory, Zeusfaber, is considered rare on the northern shores; 

 Dr Johnston has seen two specimens taken on the Berwickshire 

 coast. Zeus aper is added to the Fauna, or rather authenticated to 

 it, a second specimen having occurred in the Bridgewater-market in 



1833. The Mullets. Surely there is some confusion here. The 



thick-lipped grey mullet, reckoned so rare by Mr Yarrell as to 

 have been seen only once by Mr Couch, is the common species 

 on the eastern shores of Scotland, where we believe his grey mul- 

 let is not known at all, or is, at least, far from common. At the 

 mouths of rivers the former is taken in considerable numbers in 

 autumn, and the figure borrowed from the Italian Fauna, represents 

 this fish with accuracy. But is it not synonymous with the " grey 

 mullet" of Pennant ? A comparison of the figures brings them very 

 close. Mugil labrosus of Risso is certainly also doubtful as a sy- 

 nonym. M. curtus, Yarr. has been taken a second time by M. 

 Baillon in the bay of the Somme, near Abbeville. It is curious that 

 in this instance one specimen only, was also seen. — Valenciennes is 

 of opinion that Mr YarrelFs characters are good. Among the Blen- 

 nies, B. palmicornis of our author, was sent from the Berwickshire 

 coast, and a single specimen procured by Dr Johnston is the only 

 one which has been seen by iVir Yarrell; but what makes it still 

 more interesting, is, that M. Valenciennes, in his last volume, con- 



* Seep. 121. 



