260 LOPHOBRANCHIL 



Varieties. — The example figured life-size as young is a male, and has osseous 

 rings 13 -f- 40, dorsal fin 41 rays and standing on portions of 12 rings, length 

 of head and body 2\ in that of the total. A second specimen is a female 3 - l inches 

 long, rings 15 -J- 40, D. 41 and on portions of 11 rings. Length of head and 

 body 2$ in that of the total length. While a third is also a female 7 inches long, 

 and has osseous rings 19 -{- 44 ; dorsal fin with 43 rays and on portions of 11 

 rings ; length of head and body 2| in that of the total length. Without further 

 specimens I cannot resist thinking that the differences in the number of rings may 

 be due to age. At the same time I do not find this to be so apparent in the 

 young of S. typhle. 



Names and origin of. — The great pipe-fish, needle-fish, tangle-fish, Scotland. 

 South of Ireland termed earl, which is the generic name of Syngnathi. Bibellbysg, 

 Welsh. Be Groote Zeenald, Dutch. 



Habits. — Prefers deep water, but often found in shallows, especially in rocky 

 ground, or in weedy bottoms ; and when searching for food among rocks and stones, 

 Couch has remarked, that every attitude is adopted, with the head up or down 

 in each kind of the perpendicular, and with much contortion, while the snout is 

 thrust into the chinks where the prey is likely to be met with. It will go skim- 

 ming along the water of a summer evening 20 or 30 yards at a time like a slate 

 thrown horizontally. It eats Crustacea. Patterson relates how, having captured one 

 in 1846, be placed it in a basin of sea- water along with a long-bodied Crustacea, a 

 species of Gammarus. The last becoming tired of swimming, fixed itself on the 

 back of the fish near its tail, which the latter lashed out to dislodge his visitor ; 

 as soon as the fish became a little quiet the gammarus crept a little further up the 

 back ; the fish lashed again, but in vain, and the Crustacea crept up still nearer 

 its head. Now the pipe-fish gave its whole body the kind of movement it might 

 have had if fixed on a Lilliputian spit or in the act of being roasted. The body 

 revolved on its logitudinal axis, but still the visitor held on, but was now removed 

 by Mr. Patterson. Is said by Parnell to keep in deeper water in warm weather, a 

 characteristic I have not observed. It is retentive of life, but said to be killed by 

 fresh water. 



Means of capture. — The tow net, trawls, dredges, and often taken in seines. 



Breeding. — Templeton says, " seems to breed in spring." Moggridge, at 

 Swansea, found the pouch in the male full on June 8th, 1849, and on July 8th 

 some minute young alive and some still in the pouch (An. Nat. Hist. (2) iii, 1849). 

 Couch observed pregnancy as late as September. Some males observed to be 

 carrying ova were received at the Westminster Aquarium seven weeks prior to 

 the extrusion of the young; after birth they dispersed. At about three weeks 

 old (July 4th) they were If inches in length, having doubled their own length in 

 fourteen days (J. Carrington, Zool. 1877, p. 390). 



As food. — In August, 1881, I saw one removed at Mevagissey from inside the 

 stomach of a conger. 



Habitat. — Coasts of Northern Europe, Great Britain and France. 



Orkneys common (Low). Banff not rare, excellent bait (Edward). 

 Has been taken in the Moray Firth twice from the stomach of a cod-fish 

 (Gordon). Occasionally seen on the beach after storms at St. Andrew 

 (Mcintosh). Not infrequent in the Firth of Forth (Parnell). Berwickshire not 

 common (Johnston). Common in Yorkshire (York. Yertebrata) ; also in the 

 Norfolk Estuary (Lowe) and along our south coast. Has been recorded from 

 Swansea (Dillwyn). 



Ireland, taken around the coast : Templeton considered it rather a scarce fish, 

 though found in both the northern and southern extremities of the island. 

 Ogilby says that at Portrush he only caught one immature example in a shrimp 

 net, and supposed that its rarity was caused by the absence of the beds of 

 Zostera in which this species delights (Zool. 1876, p. 4754). 



Has been recorded up to 16 inches in length (Buckland). The specimen 

 figured is a female I took at Teignmouth among many more and is 14 inches in 

 length. 



