100 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[May 1, 18G6. 



August, had.one ovum, of the size and colour of a 

 mustard-seed, lodged in each cup-shaped cell." * 



There can he very little doubt, the eggs in 

 these pipe-fish without pouches are regularly 

 glued into the depression on the abdomen of the 

 male, by a viscous secretion which has the pro- 

 perty of hardening under water. Mr. Andrews, 

 in writing about Nerophis erquoreus (one of the 

 species just mentioned, not uncommon along the 

 coasts of Devon and Cornwall, recorded also from 

 the coasts of Berwick and Northumberland), says,f 

 " Under favourable opportunities of calmness of 

 tides, these fish may be seen side by side, clinging 

 with their tails to the tufts of Zostera manna, in 

 which position the male is enabled to attach to the 

 abdomen the ova by the same influence of viscid 

 secretion alluded to hi the marsupial species." 



In the last section, on the other hand, we find 

 even the rudiment of a caudal fin has entirely 

 vanished, a single dorsal fin, containing about forty 

 slender rays, being the only vestige of the propelling 

 agents. 



These pipe-fish are represented in S. ophidian 

 (straight-nosed pipe-fish) and S. lumbriciformis 

 (worm pipe-fish), frequently taken on the coasts of 

 Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, and other fishing-places. 

 They are more slender than are other species ; the 

 body being nearly cylindrical, tapers regularly from 

 head to tail, the latter terminating in quite a sharp 

 point. Between the head aud posterior third of the 

 body are about thirty sculptured plates, sixty smaller 

 ones filling the space betwixt these, and the long 

 tapering tail. The jaws, instead of being long and 

 tubular, are, together with the head, much short- 

 ened. The nose, turned sharply up, gives a pert 

 expression to the face, much more prepossessing 

 than the long, shrivelled, horny jaws of the pre- 

 ceding groups. The colour in some of them is the 

 exact shade of olive green peculiar to the sea plants 

 amidst which they live ; in others, the green is 

 relieved with stripes of yellowish brown. The adult 

 size is about nine inches. 



These fragile-looking fish offer additional interest- 

 ing modifications in the arrangement of the appa- 

 ratus for carrying the eggs. The depressions on the 

 abdomen of the male are disposed in three, and 

 sometimes four, rows; as in the others, hemispheric. 



Professor Pries, of Stockholm, made some sin- 

 gular and valuable discoveries bearing on the meta- 

 morphosis which takes place in the worm pipe-fish 

 (S. lumbriciformis). 



"The young of this species, at their escape from 

 the egg, have the entire tail covered with a fin-like 

 membrane, which extends partly up the back, and 

 also along the under surface of the body, as far as 

 the anal aperture : the little fish at this stage pos- 



* Yarrell. 



t Nat. Hist. Review, vol. vii. (I860), p. 397. 



sesses also pectoral fins." Except the portion needed 

 to form the permanent dorsal fin, all these, at a 

 subsequent unknown period, are thrown off, in a way 

 similar to that of the larva? of frogs rejecting their 

 tails. 



Of the pipe- fish family, the hippocampus (sea-horse) 

 is not by any means the least odd ; only one species, as 

 far as I am aware, has hitherto been taken on our coasts 

 (S. hippocampus, Linn. ; Hippocampus brevirostris, 

 Cuvier — short-nosed hippocampus). Its general 

 length varies from six to twelve inches ; the body, 

 very much flattened, is short and deep ; its entire 

 length divided by longitudinal and transverse 

 ridges, the angles of intersection marked with tuber- 

 cular points. Snout constructed, as in the other 

 pipe-fishes, with a tiny mouth at the end. Pectoral 

 and dorsal fins existent in both sexes ; the females 

 having, in addition, an anal fin, neither ventral or 

 caudal fins being discoverable in either sex. The 

 hippocampus is best known in its dried, mummy- 

 like form, exhibited in cabinets of curios as a 

 " wonderful sea-horse," the head bearing a remote 

 fancied resemblance to the horse's head usually 

 sculptured on a chess-knight ; but affixed to a tail, 

 such as dragons are supposed to wear. Seen alive 

 in its native element the horse-like appearance 

 vanishes, and the " dragon's " tail we find to be an 

 admirable contrivance with which the hippocampus 

 moores itself to any passing object. 



When swimming, the body is always maintained 

 in a vertical position, and the quaint little armour- 

 clad creatures seem, as it were, to be walking rather 

 than rowing themselves through the water ; the pre- 

 hensile tail, like that of a spider-monkey, twists aud 

 turns about, ready at any instant to coil round the 

 sea plants, or seizing on a bit of floating wood, thus 

 lashing itself, as it were, to a spar, the sea-horse 

 drifts idly, as breeze or current directs its course. 



Mr. Lukis gives an interesting account of two 

 female specimens of Hippocampus, which he had 

 living in a glass vessel twelve days : — " An appear- 

 ance of search for a resting-place induced me to 

 consult their wishes by placing straws and sea-weed 

 in the vessel ; the desired effect was obtained. 

 They now exhibit many of their peculiarities, and 

 few subjects of the deep have displayed in prison 

 more sport or intelligence." When two approach 

 each other, they are observed to link their tails 

 together, aud go in for a game of "Prench and 

 English," as children do, by joining hands ; but the 

 hippocampi hook their chins as well as their tails to 

 the stalks of marine plants, or any other available 

 object and, thus firmly moored fore and aft, tug at one 

 another viciously until the weaker looses its hold. 

 We once had four specimens of this curious fish pre- 

 sented to our collection in the Aquarium House of 

 the Zoological Gardens by J. P. Pinto, Esq., brought 

 from'the mouth of the river Tagus, where they are 

 said to be tolerably common. Amongst other 



