STICKI.EHACKS. 



(537 



liMiid, ln'iiii!; WMiirin::'. W v liml ;i Ii-mcc of tliis eloiiuiitioii 1 has Ix'cii conipiircd, iiui witliout i-ciisoii, to tlic cai'apace 



ill one of our Sticklebacks, tlu' Fift('eii-s|)iiK'cl species. of the turtles. 



The other families of the //'e»H7;>'rt /«■/»'/ (the Flute-mouths, | The Ilcuiiliriinchiaii ,tirou]i is not particulai'lN rich 

 Fisfuliiriiihr, and the Trumpet-fishes, ('cntriscidcc) arc in forms. It contains only a scoi'c of known and 

 also distinguished from tlie Sticklebacks by the elouga- described species. Some of tlicm .-ire so like each other 

 tion and, in some cases, the coalescence of the tirst thiit tlu'ir I'ight to s|)ecitic rank nuisl still be regarded 

 four or even the tirst six vertebne. In this maimer ! as rather dubious; others, again, are so different that 

 the forc])art of the body receives an increase of strength , a comparatively great number of genera have been 

 which is still further advanced in the Trumpet-fishes established. According to (Jill the gi-oup cont.-iins 11 

 h\ the e\tr:iordinarA- development of the .'interior inter- gcnerM, <listribute(l among (i families. Most of the fa- 

 spinal bones and bv their dorsal expansion into a more milies li\e in tlie tropical seas; the Scandinavian fauna 

 or less perfect shield, which in the Chinese Amphisile possesses only one. 



I AM gasterosteidj:. 



The (itiferior rertebne of iioniidl xfynrtiin'. Ve)ifral fi/.s irifli one s/i/hoks <ntd ane or tiva saff rai/s. In front of 

 the soft-rai/ed {second) dorsal fin 3 — Jo free spinous rays {not united hy a fin-memhrane) : in front of tlie anal 

 fin one spinous ray. Slnlmrbitcd ring united to the preoperculum, hut without rigid connexion. Teeth on the infer- 

 maxiUary hones and in the hnrer jaw: palate and tongue unarmed. Xo scales proper. Base of the caudal fin 

 narrou-, hut depressed. Jiranchiosteyal rays .3 on each side. Air-hladdcr simpilc. I'seudohranchifc more or less 

 ireJl-dereloped : pyloric appendages wanting or riidinieutary. 



Within this famih', wliich was founded by GuN- 

 tiiek" and originallv ranged by him at the head of the 

 system of the Teleosts, are collected the Hemihranchii 

 in the exterior of which the ordinary piscine form is 

 most typically persistent. Still these tishes show ten- 

 dencies of transition to the carapaced Trumpet-fishes and 

 also to the elongated I'lute-mouths. An expression of 

 this inav be found in the proposed generic division of 

 the famih'. ( hie species, our common Three-spined 

 Stickleback, with its well-developed dorsal plates and 

 shortei- form of body, espeeiallj' of the snout, has been 

 employed as the ty])e of a distinct genus, the true 

 Stickleback genus {(jasterosteas), while another species, 

 the Fifteen-spined Stickleback, with its more elongated 

 form and, in particular, its longer snout, is the .single 

 representative of a second genus, Sjiinachia or (iastrrea. 

 The latter getuis is approximated to the Flute-mouths 

 not only by the form of the body, but also by the 

 structure of the pelvic apparatus, which in the Fifteen- 



spined Stickleback is broken up into its two halves, 

 which merely meet each other by means of foliate 

 processes in the median line of the belly. 



All these fishes are of small size, but iiave long 

 been famous both for theii' lieaut^' and for the high 

 degree of instinct that guides them in the propagation 

 of their si)ecies. In spite of their insignificant size 

 thev are not destitute of import;nice. The gregarious 

 habits of some species collect them in such enormous 

 masses that they may easilj- be applied to industrial 

 purposes. On the other hand, they are destructive 

 enougli, for their fatness is gained to a gi'eat extent 

 at the expense of the fry and eggs of other tishes. 



The range of the family embraces the northern parts 

 of both hemispheres. Some of these fishes occur both 

 in fresh water and in the sea or, at least, in brackish 

 water; ])ut the tirst genus we shall here describe, is 

 exclusiveh" marine. 



Vat. Bnt. yfui., Fish., vol. I. p. 1. 



