194 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Many specimens, ranging from 28 to 255 millimeters (IJ^j to 10 inches) in length, are at hand. 
This species is distinguished from M. curema by the slightly shorter anal fin, fewer scales on the 
dorsal and anal fins, and by the dark stripes along the rows of scales. The young mullets of about 
50 millimeters and less in length have two spines and nine soft rays in the anal. Later, however, 
the first soft ray is transformed into a spine. The anal count is quite constant, but Jacot (1920, 
p. 200) states that in rare cases the number of anal supports (spines and rays) may be either 10 or 12. 
The young mullets also differ notably in color from the adult, as they are bright silvery. For these 
reasons the young were considered as of a different genus for a long time. 
The food of this mullet, according to the contents of 33 stomachs, consists of microscopic 
organisms, mainly of diatoms and Foraminifera, intermixed with considerable quantities of mud and 
vegetable debris. 
Exact information as to where spawning takes place and a knowledge relating to the develop- 
ment of the eggs are wanting, notwithstanding that a number of investigators have made these 
matters a point of special study. It is known, however, that spawning takes place late in the fall 
and that the eggs are moderately large. In the Chesapeake region no roe mullet were observed by 
us and, so far as we know, none have been reported from the bay. At Beaufort, N. C., mullet with 
large roe (but not prime ripe) are taken mostly in October and early November. In northern Florida 
most of the spawning takes place during November and December. One of us (Schroeder) made 
a study of the spawning of the mullet in the region of Marco, on the southwest coast of Florida. Here 
it was found that the chief spawning period ranged from the middle of December until the end of 
January and that some fish spawned in February, but no fully ripe fish were seen nor was the locality 
of spawning found. It was evident from the appearance of the ovaries that all of the eggs were not 
spawned at one time. 
Several fishermen in Florida have informed us that they have seen mullets spawning, and we 
include a description of their alleged observations in the hope that it will be an aid for future study. 
Capt. J. L. Sweat, of St. Petersburg, Fla., told us that since 1895 he had observed the mullet closely, 
and that off Indian Pass, near by, there is a locality where mullets spawn each year during the latter 
part of November and in December. This spawning ground is near the beach, where the water 
is about 24 feet deep and the bottom is of rock. The fish are so thick at the time of spawning 
“that a pole can scarcely be pushed through them.” Captain Sweat stated that he had actually 
seen the spawn, and that the water was yellowish- white from the eggs and milt and “that the 
water smelled of fish” for some distance away. (The odor could have been caused by a flowering 
of diatoms.) He declared that the fish always spawn in the outside waters and not in the bays, 
rivers, or inlets. Some time after spawning he observed very small mullets near the spawning 
grounds. The fry swam so compactly that, looking down from above, they appeared like a large 
black ball. Several fishermen at Marco and Caxambas, Fla., agreed that mullets spawned in the 
outside waters and that at the time the water was “sticky and yellowish white from the eggs and 
milt.” 
We are satisfied that the mullet does not spawn in Chesapeake Bay, for the 10 to 12 inch fish 
that comprise the bulk of the catch in October proved to be immature. Mullets larger than these 
sizes seldom occur in the Chesapeake; yet spawning may take place not far from the mouth of the 
3.f(? 
