ti7(i 



SCANDINAVIAN I'ISIIES. 



Its least deptli, just behind tlie iijiward curve of the 

 tip, is as a I'ule about \/-, liut soiiietiuu'S no more 

 than 15 % of its length. The length of the lower jaw, 

 wliicli is as a nde about 74 (varying, however, in dif- 

 t(;rent individuals between oO and '1\ '^o) of that of the 

 snout, measures in adult sjiecimens, at least after they 

 liave attained a size of 12 cm., distinctly more (gene- 

 rally '/^ more) than the diameter of the eyes", but in 

 }oung specimens ((> or 7 cm. long) is about equal to 

 this diameter''. The eyes are also comparatively smaller 

 tliaii in the (jreat I'ipefish. In young specimens ((j or 

 7 cm. long) their diameter is about ^'j ^ or even 28 % 

 of the length of the snout, but M'ith increasing age this 

 percentage sinks to about 15 or even 14. In the said 

 young S])eciniens the i>ostorbital length of the head 

 measures about ?>% — .^6 % of its entire length, or about 

 "/.^ (at least 64 %) of the length of the snout; but in 

 (dder s])eciniens this ])ro])ortion sinks to about 30 or 

 •29 % of the length of the head, or 50—46 % of that 

 of the snout. 



The gill-openings are comparativelj' somewhat 

 larger than in the Great Pipefish, their length being 

 about Vs of the diameter of the eyes; Init they are 

 otherwise of tlie same form and position. 



Tiie j)ectoral tins are of the same oljtuse shape as 

 in the Great Pipefish, or even broader, and generally 

 contain a greater number of rays. 



Tlie dorsal tin is longer and lower than in the 

 (ireat Pipefish, in the former respect coming nearer the 

 Lesser Pipefish. It is also set comparativelj' further 

 liack, this being due to the shortness of the tail. Here, 

 however, we find a distinct sexual difference in the 

 Deep-nosed Pipefisli: in the females the truidv is com- 

 paratively longer than in the males, and the dorsal and 

 anal fins are consequently situated further back. The 

 two preceding species represent in this resjiect that di- 

 rection of development which has been fixed by the 

 ])reponderant influence of the male characters. In the 

 Deep-nosed Pipefish the distance between the dorsal 

 fin and the ti]) of the snout, to the best of our kno^v- 

 ledge, is never less than 39\'2 % of the length of the body, 

 in the males hardly more than 42 %, in the females 

 about 44 %, and in young specimens sometimes 47 %. 

 It generally begins on tiie last i-ing of the trunk (the 

 anal ring), sometimes on tlie |)enultimate one. The 



base of the fin (12—1.^' .. % of the length of the bodv) 

 occupies in most adult specimens 10 rings, in some 9 

 or partially H, and in young specimens 8. Its height, 

 whicli is only sliglitly greater at the middle than at 

 either end, is generally e(pial tu the lengtli of the 

 lower jaw. 



In the Dee|)-nosed Pi]iefish as in the Great Pipe- 

 fish, we have not been able to find more than 3 ray.s 

 in the anal fin. According to Kroyer and Day, how- 

 ever, it mav contain 4 rays. It is set at a distance 

 from the tip of tiie snout that measures in the males 

 about 40' ., — 42' „ %, in the females about 44' \, — 45' ,, 

 %, and in young specimens as much as 48' , % of the 

 length of the bodv. 



The caudal tin, which is distinguislied b\- tiie 

 bluntly j)ointed form oC the hind margin, measures as 

 a rule about ?)'/„ or 4 % of the length of the bodv, 

 and tims corresponds most nearly in this respect to 

 the caudal fin of the Lesser Pipefish. But in cou- 

 sequeiice of the greater lengtii of the head in the 

 Deep-nosed Pipefish, the length of the caudal fin is 

 only about '4 of that of the head, though it varies 

 between 18 and 25 % thereof. In most cases it con- 

 sists of 10 rays; in one single instance we found 8. 



All the fin-ravs are of the same tvpe as in the 

 two preceding species; but in the caudal fin thev are 

 sometimes articulated. 



Of the coloration of tlie Deep-nosed Pipefisli Fries 

 remarks: 'Tn both localities, both in the Baltic and 

 the Cattegat, two colour- varieties occur, the first green 

 with yellow spots and with the bellv shading decidedh' 

 into brassy yellow, the second olive-brown strewn with 

 numerous whitish dots and spots and \\'\\\\ whitish belh'. 

 These two varieties are not constant, however; wa find 

 a series of intermediate forms between them. Thej- 

 do not stand in any fixed relation either to age or 

 sex." The relation of these two colour-varieties to 

 eacli other has been explained in recent times 1)\- 

 Heincke' as follows: 



"The power which the Siiiujiiathi i.)Ossess of ad- 

 apting their colour to their environments, is the most 

 perfect instance of the kind that we know among 

 fishes. If we place some Deep-nosed Pipefishes in a 

 large aquai'ium, together with a quantity of seaweed 

 {Zostera marina) such as that which grows in the 



° lu a female 255 mm. long, from Boliuslaii, tlie longitudinal (liameter of the eyes is only 55 % of the length of the lower jaw. 

 ' In the fry the lower jaw is, of course, considerably shorter — cf. A. H. Malm's figures (1. c). 

 " Schriften des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins fiir Schleswig-Holsteiu, Band I, p. 257. 



