j 
I SPINOUS PIPE-FISHES. 199 
I, 
I eggs or offspring ; what arts of attack and defence ; 
I what manoeuvrings and stratagems; what varied 
j exhibitions of sagacity, forethought and care ; what 
I singular developments of instinct; — who shall 
I tell ? A few examples of these we are acquainted 
I with, some of which have been, and others will be, 
mentioned in this volume ; — but these have become 
I known more by accident, ^Hhe fortune of the 
hour,” than by research ; and while they possess 
! an enhanced interest from their rarity, they rather 
( tend to whet and tantalize our curiosity than to 
I satisfy it, confirming the presumption that such 
I facts are not uncommon among fishes, though they 
: do not much encourage our hopes of ever being 
I able to draw aside the veil that conceals the chief 
! part of the economy of this important Class of 
! animals from the observation of man. 
