356 TROPICAL AND SOUTHERN FISHES 



Leaving the spiny-finned group, attention may be directed to the 



Flute-Mouths. . ° r J ° r J 



curious flute-mouths of the family Fistulariidae, of which a well- 

 known representative is the tobacco-pipe fish (Fistularia tabaccaria), distinguished, 

 in common with its relatives, by the tube-like muzzle, terminating in a narrow 

 mouth. This fish, which grows to a couple of yards in length, is a native of the 

 tropical Atlantic. The allied trumpet-fish (Gentriscus scoloixtx), characterised by 

 the long, tubular snout and the large size of the second dorsal spine, inhabits the 

 Mediterranean, the tropical Atlantic, and the coasts of Tasmania. Red above and 

 silvery beneath, this curious fish measures only about five inches in length. 



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LESSER SUN-FISH. 



Pipe-Fishes and An allied group, the Syngnaihidce, is formed by the pipe-fishes 



Sea-Horses. or needle-fishes of the genera Siphonostoma and Syngnathus, and 

 the grotesque sea-horses (Hippocampus) remarkable for their crested heads. 

 The pipe-fishes, of which Syngnathus pelagicus is a well-known example, are 

 greatly elongated fishes, protected by an armour of bony rings, with a long, tube- 

 like muzzle, very small, if any, pectoral fins, a long, low dorsal fin, and a tassel-like 

 tail-fin. All these fishes are remarkable for their peculiar breeding-habits. In the 

 Florida pipe-fish (Siphonostoma floriclce) and its relatives, for instance, the ripe 

 eggs are transferred from the oviducts of the female to a special brooding-pouch 

 on the under side of the abdomen of the male. In the case of the Florida species, 



