SHORT-NOSED HIPPOCAMPUS. 45") 



The species of Hippocampus in tlicir sexual peculiarities, 

 as far as they have been investigated, appear to coincide with 

 those of the Syngnathi. I had the pleasure of looking over, 

 with Mr. Owen, some specimens in the collection of the 

 Royal College of Surgeons, which had been examined and 

 the internal structure partly exposed to view by the dissec- 

 tions of John Hunter. The females with the abdomen 

 enlarged, as shown in the right-hand figure at the head of this 

 article, have a small anal fin of four rays, but no true pouch ; 

 the ova in the abdomen. Males have no anal fin, in any of 

 the specimens I have examined ; the pouch obvious ; the 

 abdomen smaller than in the females, as shown in the left- 

 hand figure. The two specimens represented in the vignette 

 are both females. 



Their food is unknown to me, but is probably very similar 

 to that taken by the Syngnathi. 



The whole length from the point of the nose to the end of 

 the tail is about five inches : the connected jaws, forming a 

 tubular mouth, are considerably shorter than the rest of the 

 head : the eyes prominent, the irides straw yellow ; over 

 each eye a single prominent spinous tubercle : the operculum 

 covered with striee, radiating from the front : the pectoral fins, 

 placed immediately behind the operculum, are small, appa- 

 rently containing about eight rays in each ; the form of the 

 body heptangular, three angles on each side, the seventh 

 longitudinal angular line being on the abdomen ; the back 

 flat ; the transverse segments of the body eleven, with tuber- 

 cular projections at the points of intersection; the rays of 

 the dorsal fin about sixteen : the anal fin is peculiar to the 

 female only, and probably performs some office at the time 

 of the transfer of the ova to the pouch of the male ; this 

 anal fin contains four rays : the abdomen as deep again as the 

 tail ; from the vent the form of the tail is quadrangular, 

 ending in a point : the number of segments about thirty. 



