rin;Fisiii::s. 



(579 



retrain t'rinii infcrriii,!;' the leciiiidity of this lisli f'rdiii 

 the nuiiibcr of e^i'gs in tlie tVmiile. To jii(l_i;x' l)y tlic 

 iiiimhrrs aiii(.)iig thcsf islands, tlic males are so few in 

 coin])arison to the females that hardly one of the former 

 can he found among' ten of the latter. " 



Ekstuom'.s observation that during the spawning 

 the Deep-nosed Pipefish retires to deeper water, at least 

 two fathoms or more in depth, has been corro- 

 borated in Boliusliln by A. H. Malm (1. c, p. 18), 

 who supposes that the spawning is most general 

 th<'re from the middle tif -Tune to tiie beginning of 

 August. 



Besides the ])rotective likeness ^vhich the Deep- 

 nosed Pipelish attains by means of its changes of colour, 

 IIkixckk has remarked another, which is given to the 

 males while their marsuiiium is distended with eggs or 

 young. The nuirsupium with its long slit at the middle 

 then presents a striking resemblance to the spathe of 

 Znsfei'd. and still further iiicrenses the difticultv of 



distinguishing these fishes from the flowering grass- 

 wi-ack. 



The young stay in the marsui)ium or take refuge 

 therein (see above) until they ha-^e attained a length of 

 about 25 mm. As A. II. Malm and Lill.iebokg have 

 remarked, they are destitute of the end)ryonic vertical 

 fin, whic'h is present, however, in the larva" of the 

 Great Fipeiisli. They grow ra|)idly, according to Hkincke, 

 attaining a length of at least one decimetre Ijy the end 

 of the first year; and the marsupium of the males may 

 sometimes b(! fully develojxnl even at an earlier period. 

 The number of the caudal rings increases during growth 

 from 32 to 'M or 38, but even in specimens about 6 

 cm. long the nund)er of rings on the trunk is complete 

 or at least 17. 



The Deep-nosed Pipe-fish is of no greater econo- 

 mical value than the rest of the Lopholn-anchs. It may 

 be employed, however, as food for swine or as bait 

 for Cod and Bidlheads. 



Gems NEROPHIS. 



Pectoral (onl aiutl tiiif^ icaiifim/. The males earn/ the impregnated e<i(is in a tat/er of miinis ou the roifral 



sii/e iif the trunk. 



Fries bestowed upon this genus, wliich he charac- 

 teri/A'd. but regarded merely as a subdivision of the 

 genus Sijiu/nathus, the Swedish name oi' Ilafsiidlar {Sen- 

 Needles)". Rafixesque had indeed established a ge- 

 nus Xcrophis'' in 181<), but Kaup was the first (in 

 IBSS*^) to give this name a fixed application. Dume- 

 rh/ treated this division as a distinct subfamily, iVe- 

 ropliinl. which he distributed among three genera. 



As we have mentioned aljove, this group is dis- 

 tinguished from tlie i)receding Sijngnathincf not only 

 by the constant absence of the anal fin and the dis- 

 appearance of the pectoral fins and, in most cases, of 

 the caudal tin, but also Ijv the weaker covering of 

 ])lates and the less distinct carinie on the body. The 

 skin that covers the plates, on the other hand, is more 

 strongly developed and sometimes elevated at the middle 

 of the back and the belly in the form of a dermal 

 carina or even (in Protocamjnis) of an embryonic, but 



persistent vertical fin. Another essential difference is 

 that the upper row of plates on the trunk (the dorsal 

 row) advances on each side of the body even along the 

 tail, and that the middle lateral row on the trunk passes 

 in the same manner into the lower caudal row, the lower 

 lateral ro^vs of the trurd< and its ventral row being 

 thus unrepresented in the plate-armour of the tail. 



Fries has remarked the significant sexual distinc- 

 tions that prevail in the species of this group, partly 

 in the position of the vent (comparatively further back 

 in the females), parti)' in the form of the trunk (deejier 

 and narrower, with more distinct dorsal and ventral 

 carina', in the females). He has also pointed out that 

 the most trustworthy specific characters must be sought 

 in the position of the dorsal fin, the number of rings 

 on the trunk, and the length of the snout in proportion 

 to its depth and to the length of the head. Guided by 

 these observations, he arrived at a safe stand-point for 



" Syngnathi ophidii as opposed to the preceding group, whicli 

 * Indice d'ittiologia SiciliWKt. We have not seen this rare 

 a minor sea-god) .ind Ofpig, snake. 



' Arch. Naturg., Jahrg. XIX, Bd. I, p. 234; Vat. Lophobr. Fish. Brit. J/h, 

 '' Hist. Nat. Poiss. (Suit, a Buff.), torn. II, p. 000. 



Scandinarinn Fishes. 



he called Syngnathi ynar.iiipiale.i. 



work. Tlie name is formed from the Greek I'ljgo'c, wet (or NfQet'g, 



