GUEY MULLET. 
7 
The Grey Mullet is familiarly known round the coasts of 
the United Kingdom, although perhaps it exists in greater 
numbers in the south and west than in the north. It appears 
indeed to be more Avidely distributed than others of its genus, 
for while it is met with in the north of Scotland, Ireland, and 
Scandinavia, it is more abundant than even Avith us through the 
Mediterranean, even to the mouth of the Nile; and southward 
it is known at the Cape of Good Hope. 
Its choice of residence is in the neighbourhood of the shore, 
Avhere it is most frequently seen in harbours, especially where 
the larger rivers empty themselves into the ocean ; and this 
fish is even knoAvn to leave the salt Avater altogether for an 
occasional change, although by choice it soon returns to the 
waters of the sea. From a study of the younger individuals 
there is reason to conclude that this interchange between the 
waters of the sea and river is of importance to their health 
and growth, but as regards the fish of full groAvth the change 
may be especially beneficial by affording some supply of 
favourable food, as it has grown into a proverb that an 
Arundel Mullet is of particularly delicious quality. When 
living in a muddy bottom or foul water, as is the case in 
some parts of the Mediterranean, as food it is said to lose 
much of its admired flavour. We are told that a gentleman 
who kept Mullets confined in a pond of fresh water, Avhere 
no doubt they were sufficiently supplied Avith food, Avas per- 
suaded that by this treatment they AV'ere much improved in 
quality as well as growth; but how long this exclusive confine- 
ment was persevered in does not appear. . 
From Columella Ave learn that they Avere among the fishes 
preserved in ponds by the ancient Romans, but these we 
suppose to have contained the water of the sea. We are left 
by this author to suppose that these fishes did not suffer by 
the confinement, and from the number he mentions it seems 
probable that they even increased in their captivity. This 
Roman author, whose observations probably were drawn from 
Mullets thus confined in ponds, applies to them the epithet of 
sluggish, f iners mugil,J but this can only be appropriate to the 
deliberate manner in which the structure of their mouth com- 
pels them to proceed in taking their food; in which it must be 
allowed they are much more slow than the Bass or Lupus, 
