534 



THE OCEAN WORLD. 



II. LOPHOBBANCHII. 



The Lophobranchii comprehend a 'few types, but are numerous in 

 species. Here the gills are divided into small round tufts, and 

 arranged in pairs along the branchial arches ; a structure quite 

 peculiar, of which we have no examples in any other fishes. These 

 gills are enclosed under a large cover, or operculum, attached on all 

 sides by a membrane, which leaves only a small hole for the escape of 

 water which has served the purposes of respiration. 



These little cuirassed fishes consist of two genera, Syngnatlms and 

 Hippocampus. The Syngnathes, or pipe-fishes, possess a very curious 



Fig. 361. The Trumpet Pipe-fish (SyngnatLus). 



organic peculiarity. Their bodies are long, slender, and slightly 

 tapering, covered with plates set lengthwise, without ventrals ; the 

 skin, in swelling, forms under the belly or under the tail, according to 

 the species, a pouch into which the eggs glide to be hatched, and 

 which is afterwards a shelter for the young. Most of the species are 

 strangers to European seas, but some few are found in the Channel. 

 The Trumpet Pipe-fish (Fig. 361) has the head small, the muzzle 

 long, nearly cylindrical, slightly raised at the end, and terminating in 

 a very small mouth without teeth. The animal is about twenty inches 

 long ; its skin is of a yellowish colour varied with brown. It lives in 



