. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America . Natural history. CHAPTER LVI THE ORDER OF PIPE-FISHES AND SEA-HORSES L OPIIOBEANCHI At the foot of the Subclass of Bony Fishes, stand certain small creatures, each of which is so fantastic in form that it requires to be introduced with the solemn assurance, "This is a fish!" At first glance, any one wholly unacquainted with them might from their hard external shells be inclined to regard them as particularly odd crus- taceans; but the presence of tiny fins without, and skeletons
. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America . Natural history. CHAPTER LVI THE ORDER OF PIPE-FISHES AND SEA-HORSES L OPIIOBEANCHI At the foot of the Subclass of Bony Fishes, stand certain small creatures, each of which is so fantastic in form that it requires to be introduced with the solemn assurance, "This is a fish!" At first glance, any one wholly unacquainted with them might from their hard external shells be inclined to regard them as particularly odd crus- taceans; but the presence of tiny fins without, and skeletons more or less bony within, place them fairly within the confines of the Bony Fishes. The Great Pipe-Fish1 is a long, slender stalk of jointed bone, with queer little fins very far apart, and a head that terminates in a long, hol- low tube. But for this very tough and persistent bony armor, other small fishes would devour the Pipe-Fishes, bit by bit, as children bite off sticks of candy. Its armor is so stiff, how- ever, that the wearer moves slowly and with difficulty, and the prey usually sought by this fish is found very small and weak, hiding in the branches of sea-weed, coral clusters, sponges, and the sea-grasses generally. It was for insertion into such hunting-grounds as these that the long, tubular snout of this fish has been developed. The Pipe-Fishes swim in a half ver- tical position, as if literally leading up to the introduction of the next species, which swims bolt upright in the water, and fairly caps the climax in fishes. All the Pipe- Fishes are small creatures. Our largest species is found on the Pacific coast, and "reaches a length of 18 ; (Jordan and Evermann.) There exists in North American waters about thirty species. The Sea-Horse2 bears not the faintest resem- blance to a typical fish, and is the strangest-look- ing creature of the whole fish world. It looks like a Chinese dragon, reduced about a thousand diameters. Its minute pectoral f
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