THE TRUE FISHES. 



FIG. 233. The angler (LopJn'us piscatorius). 



Order VII. Lophobranchii. Sea-Horses (Hippo- 

 eampidiz). These curious fishes have a fibro-cartilaginous 

 skeleton. The gills take the form of tufted lobes on each 

 side of the branchial arches. The snout and lower jaw 

 are developed into a tube, at the end of which is the 

 mouth. The tail is prehensile, like an opossum's, and 

 by it they cling to plants, or swim upright by the dorsal 

 fin alone, their movements being slow and deliberate. 



NOTE. They are wonderful mimics. The leaf-firmed sea-horse, or 

 Phyllopteryx eqiies (Fig. 234), from Australian waters, is provided with 

 numbers of reddish streaming filaments that resemble plants, forming 

 a perfect protection to the fish as they float about. The male sea-horse 

 receives the eggs into a pouch on its ventral surface. When they hatch, 

 it presses the pouch against a stone or shell, and forces them out. The 

 pipe-fish belongs to this group, and is also a mimic of the weed. The 

 male receive the eggs from the female and carries them in a pouch. 

 In the genera Nerophis and Protocampus the pouch is wanting, the 

 eggs being attached to the abdomen of the female. In the Soleno* 



