Zoology.] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. IFishes. 



Reference. — Syngnathus foliatus (Shaw), Gen. Zool., vol. 5, 1. 180; = S. tcBui- 

 olatus (Lacep.), Ann. du Mus., v. 4, t. 58, f. 3. Phyllopteryx foliatus (Swains.), 

 Nat. Hist. Fish., v. 2, p. 332. 



This most singular-looking Fish must have struck the aborigines 

 with some superstitious feeling, as I have seen a native drawing of 

 a ghost, manifestly inspired by its strange form. The leafy appen- 

 dages resemble bits of brown seaweed, and vary slightly, frequently 

 showing a rich blue color. The above dull colors are those I 

 have seen in one living specimen, and several just dead and 

 quite fresh. Tlie brilliantly colored fish represented in the 

 Zoological Proceedings for 1865, plate 14, and in Mrs. Meredith's 

 " Tasmanian Friends and Foes," plate 7, with yellow, crimson, and 

 purple hues, is really a distinct species, for which I propose the 

 name F. altus^ because the greatest height or depth of the body 

 exceeds the length of the snout from anterior edge of orbit, and 

 equals about ten of the posterior body segments, or mid-row of 

 spines in front of anal, while the greatest depth of the body in 

 our common Victorian dull-colored species, as here figured, and as 

 also in Shaw's original figure of the species, is scarcely jth the 

 length of the snout, and only measures about 7 of the lateral 

 spines of the hinder body segments in front of the anal. 



Like the Pipe-fishes, the males of this fish carry the eggs in a soft 

 membrane on the lower side of the tail, without, however, having a 

 distinct pouch like the males of the true Pipe-fishes. Dr. Kaup, 

 who has carefully examined all the specimens of this fish in the 

 Paris Museum, is able to state that none of these have the snout 

 so short as in Lacepede's figure above quoted, which is therefore 

 simply incorrect in this particular. I do not think the end of the 

 tail is prehensile ; at least in newly dead specimens it is not spirally 

 inrolled as in Hippocampus. 



The Sea-dragons s\^am horizontally, like ordinary fish, and not 

 in a vertical position, like the Sea-horses. 



Common at Western Port, not very uncommon in Hobson's 

 Bay, and Geelong and Portland, from all of which localities 

 specunens are in the National Museum. 



Explanation of Figures. 

 Plate 65. — Fig. 1, moderate specimen, natural size (tip of tail broken). Fig. la, jaws at 

 end of snout, magnified 2 J times. Fig. \b, one of ventral bony leaf-bearers, magnified 2 J 

 diameters. 



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