MULLETS. 
153 
the second ray produced into a long filament, 
while the others are of the usual size : the anal 
is loDger than the dorsal. 
We illustrate the genus by the Elegant Long- 
fin {Macropodus venustus^ Cuv.), a native of the 
great rivers of India. 
Family XIII. Mugilid^, 
{^Mullets,) 
The well-known fishes of this Family are often 
spoken of as Grey Mullets, to distinguish them 
from the Mullidmj which are frequently mentioned 
as Red Mullets ; though it is perhaps better, as 
less likely to create confusion of ideas, to use the 
term Mullets for the one and that of Sur-mullets 
for -the other. The true Mullets then are dis- 
tinguished by the following characters. The 
body is oblong, somewhat narrow, more or less 
cylindrical, clothed with large scales. The head 
is somewhat depressed, covered with large angular 
scaly plates ; the muzzle is short and obtuse, 
slightly projecting over the mouth, which is small, 
transversely cleft, and forming, when closed, an 
angle, the lower Jaw having an eminence in the, 
middle corresponding to a hollow in the upper : 
the eyes are large and placed near the muzzle. 
The teeth are very minute, and in some almost 
imperceptible ; there are six gill-rays ; the bones 
of the pharynx are so much developed as to give 
an angular form to the gullet. There are two 
dorsals, remote from each other, the first consist- 
ing of four strong spinous rays ; the ventrals are a 
little behind the pectorals ; the caudal is forked 
