10 
GKEY MUI.LET. 
throat, by which all that is stout or rough becomes rejected, 
and then blown out of the mouth; after which what forms the 
food is received into the firm and muscular stomach, that for 
substance resembles the gizzard of a fowl. By the action of 
this organ what is capable of affording nourishment becomes 
digested, and the remainder is passed on through a thinner 
portion of the stomach to be finally expelled at the vent. 
Oppian has taken notice of a delicate trait in the character 
of this fish, in an action which however is sometimes noticed 
of other species when not very eager for food, and which action 
is also mentioned by Ovid;— 
“The scenting Mullet creeps with slow advance, 
And views the bait with coy-retorted glance. 
First with his tail he feels the bait, and tries 
If vital warmth the beating pulse supplies, 
For Mullets always spare the living prize; 
Then slightly nibbles, but perceives too late 
The doubted fraud, and feels the pungent fate.” 
The form of the mouth and narrowness of the gullet form 
a hindrance which prevents this fish from swallowing a hook 
of even small size; and generally the close examination which 
is made of the texture of what is to be admitted might appear 
a sufficient guard against the reception of anything that might 
endanger its safety; yet the Mullet is not unfrequently caught 
with a line, and the misfortune itself is the result of those 
very actions which seem best fitted to ensure its safety. The 
close pressure of the lips on the bait will cause the point of 
the hook to pierce the flesh, and in this way the fish falls a 
victim of mischance, when, however, no slight skill and patience 
are required to bring the prize safely to land. The baits 
employed are a small soft worm, some fatty substance, or 
cabbage boiled in animal broth; and Oppian mentions, as an 
ordinary bait in his day, a mixture of curds of milk with flour 
and an infusion of mint, fastened on an ordinary hook. 
But the Mullet is more frequently sought for with the net, 
and it is in its encounter with this that the large amount of 
its watchful intelligence and activity are displayed. As we are 
informed that this fish is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean 
through its whole length, and, according to Mr. Frazer, “Travels 
