396 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



five inches in length. Mr Yarrell has ascertained that the 

 males of Syngnathus acus carry their living young in the 

 anal pouch, even after they have been hatched there. He 

 has been frequently told by fishermen that on opening them, 

 they had found the living young within the pouch, which 

 they called the belly, and that when these young were 

 shaken out into the water over the side of the boat, they 

 did not swim away, but when the parent fish was held in 

 the water in a favourable position, the young would again 

 re-enter the pouch. 



The Great Pipe-fish I have also found on the coast of 

 Berwick, on the Devonshire coast, and ou the shores of the 

 Solway ; it feeds on small mollusca, minute Crustacea, and 

 the ova of other fishes. It is of little or no value either as 

 bait or food. 



Syngnathus typhle.* — The Deep-nosed Pipe-Fish. 



Specific Characters. — Pectoral fins present ; head not carinated, or 

 raised above the level of the back. 



Description. — From a specimen ten inches in length ; head mea- 

 suring from the point of the snout to the posterior extremity of the 

 operculum about one-sixth of the entire length ; body anteriorly hep- 

 tangular ; quadrangular at the caudal extremity. Colour of the back 

 and sides, greenish-yellow ; belly pale yellow. Back flat, with a 

 ridge on both sides, commencing at the gill-opening, and terminat- 

 ing at the last ray but six of the dorsal fin ; behind the pectoral fin 

 commences a second ridge which runs down the side as far as in a 

 line under the fourth dorsal ray ; at the lower extremity of the base 

 of the pectoral arises a third ridge which runs down the whole 

 length of the body, to the base of the caudal fin ; under the throat a 

 fourth ridge takes its origin, and, after running down the mesial line 

 of the abdomen, terminates at the vent ; immediately under the third 

 ray of the dorsal, and above the termination of the second ridge, 

 commences another ridge, which, after taking an oblique course for a 

 short distance, towards the last ray of the dorsal, passes straight to 



* Syngnathus typhle, Linn., Yarr., Jen., Don. Short Pipe-fish, Lesser 

 Pipe-fish, 



