proportion to his size as he is able to kill the fry of larger fish, notably 

 the salmon, for which reason the Stickleback is known locally as the 

 Salmon Killer. 



FAMELY 21. PIPEFISHES; SYNGNATHIDAE. 



Fishes of this family are the nearest relatives we have of the sea- 

 horses so common in southern waters. The group is represented with 

 us by the Gray -lined Pipe fish, Syngnathus griseoUneatus (Ayres), 

 (Pig. 31). The body is extremely long and slender and is enclosed in 

 a tough covering of bony plates. The snout is long and narrow, termi- 

 nating in toothless jaws. The tail fin is small and fan-shaped, while 

 the ventrals are absent. Fishes of this genus have unusual breeding 

 habits, the male possessing a pair of pouches on the under side of the 

 body in which the female places the eggs till they are hatched. 



FAMILY 22. BARRACUDAS; SPHYRAENIDAE. 



The Silver Barracuda, Sphyraena argentea (Girard), (Fig. 32) is 

 not a common flsh in Puget Sound, as this is the northern limit of 

 the species, which is notably abundant in the waters of California. 

 The Barracuda may be recognized by its long pike-shaped body, large 

 mouth and projecting lower jaw. The teeth are long and sharp. The 

 two dorsal flns are small and widely separated. The lateral line is 

 straight. The scales are small. It is a valuable food fish, but is not 

 taken in sufficient numbers to enter into the market. 



FAMILY 23. FIATOLES; STROMATEIDAE. 



Like the Barracuda, our local representative of the Stromateidae, 

 the California Pompano or Butterfish, Rhombus simiUimus (Ayres), 

 (Fig. 34) may be regarded as a straggler from more southern climes, 

 since it is comparatively rare in Puget Sound. Lacking a suitable 

 illustration of the local species, a cut of a closely related form has 

 been utilized in the plates. 



I 



The species known on the Pacific Coast as the California Pompano 



is not a true Pompano, since the latter belongs in an entirely differ- 

 ent family of fishes, the Carangidae. The resemblance between the two 

 types is quite superficial. 



In the Butterfish or California Pompano the body is greatly flat- 

 tened sidewise, and terminates in a mouth armed with feeble teeth. 

 The cheeks are covered with scales, and the lateral line is well devel- 

 oped. The anal fin is much like the dorsal, and the tail is broadly 

 forked. It attains a length of 10 inches and is a good food flsh. 



