THE GREAT PIKE-FISH. 239 



head fishermen. He says they differ from the latter, by keeping to softer 

 sand, as they cannot quickly conceal themselves where it is hard, but 

 where the sand suits there are plenty of the others also ; it feeds chiefly 

 on the small ones of Ammodytes Lancca ; it comes far up the bay to 

 spawn, attains to 18 inches in length. He contradicts the preceding 

 so far as to say that he never but once saw sneddins by themselves ; but 

 during one tide he saw them ; they are not nearly so numerous as the 

 smaller species. 



ORDER III.— LOPHOBRANCHII. 



DiV. I. — OSTEODERMI. 



The Great Pipe-Fish, Si/m/nafJins Acus, Linn., 



Is taken around the coast. 



Mr. Templeton says of it : — " Rather a scarce fish, although found on 

 both the southern and northern extremities of the island. — Seems to 

 breed in spring." 



To myself it has occurred commonly on the N. E. coast, chiefly in the 

 dredge used in Belfast Bay and Strangford Lough, and I have seen spe- 

 cimens from all other sides of this island. 



In July, 1840, when with Messrs. R. Ball and E. Forbes in the West of 

 Ireland, it was taken in the dredge at Koundstone Bay. Dr. Ball re- 

 marks that it is called earl in the South, where this is a generic name for 

 the Syngnathi. 



A friend who has frequently watched the movements of pipe-fishes in 

 Belfast Bay describes them as skimming along the surface of the water, 

 in the summer evenings especially, like a slate thrown horizontally. — He 

 has seen them skipping for 20 or 30 yards at a time, and also springing 

 a foot high into the air. 



I am indebted for the following notes to my friend R. Patterson, Esq. 



" The pipe-fish now sent, which I take to be the young of the great 

 pipe-fish {Syngnathiis acus),* was taken in a small towing net on the 8th 

 Aug., 1846, near Cultra. Some Crustacea were captured at the same time, 

 and one of them, of a common species of Gammarus, was placed with the 

 pipe-fish in a glass vessel of sea-water. About half an hour afterwards I 

 noticed that the Gammarus had seized hold with its feet of the body of 

 the fish, which it clasped a little above the tail. 



"The fish, apparently to get rid of this 'old man of the mountain,' be- 

 gan lashing the water vigorously with its tail, but without effect. It 

 rested for two or three minutes, and renewed its efforts, but with no bet- 

 ter success. It then rested again, and the Gammarus took the opjiortu- 

 nity of the quiet to change its quarters by creeping along the back of the 

 fish : it had got past the middle when the fish began turning round on 

 the longitudinal axis of the body, as it might be supposed to do if in the 

 process of being roasted on a miniature spit. It then staid quiet for a 

 time, and the Gammarus got further forward, and exhiliited itself in 

 front of the dorsal fin. The fish then recommenced its revolutions, but 

 they seemed so utterly unavailing that at length we took pity upon it, 



* It is so.— W. T. 



