MULLET, GREY

Grey mullet, (Mugil cephalus), or kanae of the Maoris, is an excellent food fish, rich in fat and protein, and especially suitable for smoking. It grows to about 18 in. in length and is often seen in great numbers in northern harbours. A familiar sight is the gleaming flash as a mullet leaps out of the water and returns to its element with a resounding splash. These leaps are evidently for the purpose of evading predacious fishes.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.