The Pipe-Fish.'] OF ORKNEY. 181 



Species 2. — The Shorte?' Pipe-Fish. 



Acus Aristotelis sen secunda, Wil. Icth. 150. Raii Syn. Pise. 47. Syngua- 

 thus acus, Lin. Sys. 416. Brit. Zool. 108, tab. 6. 



This species is still more frequent than the former, and is 

 found of many sizes, from six inches to fifteen and a half, 

 from one of which last dimensions I shall give the following 

 measures and description. 



The snout, from the nose to the eye, an inch and a half; 

 to the covers of the gills something more than two ; to the 

 beginning of the back-fin six inches and a half; the back-fin 

 two inches long ; from the end of it to the tail seven inches 

 and a half. 



The snout is pretty much like that of the former species ; 

 the gills not open below as in other fish, but on each side of 

 the neck is an aperture pointing upwards ; the pectoral fins 

 are placed much as in other fishes. 



The body, from the head to the vent, is heptangular, from 

 thence to the end of the back-fin hexangular ; from the end 

 of the back-fin to that of the tail, quadrangular ; the fins are 

 five in number, viz. the two pectoral ; the single back-fin ; 

 the tail, which in this is finned, not, as in the last, pointed ; 

 a very minute anal fin, consisting of a single ray (my speci- 

 mens were all dry, so that I cannot be positive of the rays, but 

 of the existence of the fin I am certain, as it was in them all), 

 about an eighth of an inch long. 



