390 Mr YarrelTs 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 Yarrell's 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 Mr Yarrell; but what makes it still 
more interesting, is, that M. Valenciennes, in his last volume, con- 
* See p. 121. 
