PIPE -FISHES. 



167 



a fine specimen of the pilot fish (Naucrates diictor), 

 then just captured in Eamsgate harbour. A fisherman 

 saw it basking on the surface of the water, struck it 

 with one of his boat's stretchers, and brought it ashore. 

 Mr. Mussared fortunately saw it exhibited as a curiosity 

 and purchased it on my account, for a rather * con- 

 siderable consideration.' I need hardly say that Tery 

 soon after its arrival it was on its way to Mr. Buckland, 

 for immortalisation in plaster effigy. It is now in the 

 Fish Museum." 



Many well-authenticated instances have been pub- 

 lished of the pilot fish following ships for long distances. 

 This specimen had probably followed some ''over the 

 sea" inward-bound ship, and had lost her when she 

 took a steam-tug at Eamsgate. 



THE PIPE-FISHES. 



Lophobranchii. Syngnathidm. 



These fish have a remarkable appearance : the body 

 being long and slender, and the jaws united, and form- 

 ing a cylindrical tube, the whole covered with bony 

 l)lates, like a coat of mail. The arrangement of these 

 plates is such as to render the body angular, but they 

 do not interfere with its flexibilitv. The reader should 

 boil one of these fish till it falls to pieces, the pecu- 

 liar pattern of the armour ecales can be then well 

 observed. The most remarkable peculiarity is the 

 existence, in one genus, of a marsupial pouch, in which 

 the young are contained. This receptacle is found only 

 in the male pipe-fish, which is furnished with two soft 

 flaps, that fold together and form a bag or apron, in 

 which the eggs are placed and matured, and the young 

 hatched. 



