CLASS PISCES 



465 



fastened together with threads secreted by a gland in the male. 

 The female lays eggs in the nest; the male then enters and 

 fertilizes them, after which he guards them from intruders. 



Fig. 397. — -The pipe-fish, Syngnathus acus. (From Lankester's Treatise, 



after Gtinther.) 



Family Syngnatrtd^e. — The Pipe-fishes and Sea-horses. 

 The pipe-fishes (Fig. 397) are extremely thin, with a tubular 

 snout, abbreviated fins, and a covering of 

 bony armor. Their food is captured by in- 

 serting the snout into the cavities in sponges 

 and corals, and by picking off minute ani- 

 mals from the branches of seaweeds. The 

 sea-horses (Fig. 398) are small species that 

 do not look much like fish, the head remind- 

 ing one of the head of a horse. They 

 swim by means of the dorsal fin, hold- 

 ing themselves in a vertical position as in 

 Figure 398. They cling to objects with 

 their prehensile tail. The eggs are carried 

 in a brood pouch (mp) of the male until 

 they hatch. 



Family Serranid^e. — The Sea-basses. 

 This is a large family containing over four suttulatus, male 



° J ° a, anus; o.a, branchial 



hundred species, mostly marine. The white aperture; m.p, brood- 

 lake bass, Roccus chrysops, is a fresh-water £ ouc ^ / , (Fr £ T n \ th ! 



' J t 1 Cambridge Natural 



species of the Great Lakes region. The History.) 



2H 



Fig. 398. — The sea- 

 horse, Hippocampus 



