A Natural History for Young People: Our Animal Friends in Their Native Homes: including mammals, birds and fishesHumphreys, Phebe Westcott
History
A Natural History for Young People: Our Animal Friends in Their Native Homes: including mammals, birds and fishes
Humphreys, Phebe Westcott
Natural history -- Juvenile literature
The Trumpet Pipe-fish has a small head and a long cylinder-shaped nose,
slightly raised at the end, and terminating in a very small mouth
without teeth. It is generally found in the Atlantic and the
Mediterranean.
There is still another Pipe-fish—the Fistularia—not often classed with
this family, but found among the spiny-finned Fishes, with an extremely
long nose in front of the head; this forms a long tube, in fact, at the
end of which is the mouth. This species is common at the Antilles. It
reaches a length of about three feet. It feeds upon crustaceans and
small Fishes, which it drags from the interstices of the rocks and
stones by means of its long pipe.
THE SEA-HORSE.
The queer little Sea-horses which are often found dried among a
collection of sea-shells and ocean relics, are only a few inches in
length. Their head bears some resemblance to that of a Horse, while the
tail resembles the rings of a Caterpillar, and the body is covered with
triangular scales. They keep in a vertical position when they swim, and
the tail seems on the alert, to seize whatever it meets in the water,
clasping the stems of rushes, etc. Once fixed by the tail, the queer
little animal seems to watch all the surrounding objects, and darts
quickly on any prey presenting itself. They live on Worms and Fish eggs
and substances found at the bottom of the sea.
THE FAMILY OF SOFT-FINNED FISHES.
The principal character of the Fishes of this large family (which forms
the third group of bony Fishes) is that the rays of the fins are soft,
with very few exceptions. They inhabit both the sea and fresh water, and
this group is found to include Fishes of the most importance as human
food, such as the Herring, the Cod, Salmon, Carp, Pike, and many others.
This family is usually divided into three groups: The Eels—which have
already been described with the Lampreys—the various flat Fishes, like
the Flounders, Turbot, Plaice, Sole, Halibut, etc., and third, the
Fishes already mentioned as the favorites for food, with curious
specimens of Flying-fish, etc.
SOME STRANGE SPECIMENS.
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