THE SEA-HORSE. 167 



I cannot believe that the twain are without emotion, since it is 

 true of some of the higher fishes that the love-season calls out 

 their intelligence to its highest manifestation. Suppose in our 

 latitude it is July. A pair of these Hippocampi meet. They curl 

 their prehensile tails about each other and assume an erect position, 

 face to face. The female emits her eggs in a slow stream imme- 

 diately over the pouch, which opens and closes at the top. The 

 motion of the mouth of this sac is that of suction ; thus, the 

 eggs are actually drawn into it. There they are patiently hatched 

 and also nourished, as shown in the paper referred to. This appo- 

 sition of the sexes, to be sure, is hypothesis, yet I think it will 

 prove to be true. At any rate, it is the outcome of long and 

 patient thought, and is perfectly consistent with observation of 

 habit. 



When the young are ready for eviction, the pouch, which on 

 receiving the eggs was fat and thick, has become flaccid and thin. 

 Its adipose lining has been absorbed by the young fishes. So 

 badly wasted is the pouch that muscular action sufiicient to expel 

 the brood is impossible. The father-fish evicts his charge in the 

 following way. He gets himself in an erect position alongside of 

 some object — a stick, stone, shell, or plant — either hooking the 

 end of his tail under it, or in some way getting hold by its prehen- 

 sile tip. Then stiffening the whole body and keeping it erect, he 

 leans upon the object, and brings himself down against it with a 

 jerky movement; this rubs up the pouch, pushing out some of its 

 occupants. This is done repeatedly until the whole brood is 

 forced into the water. 



Now, it is observable that an anal fin would be greatly in the 

 way during such an operation. In fact, it would be a very bad 

 obstruction. Hence the absence of this fin in the male Hippo- 

 campus. But it is present in my female, for in her case it is not 

 in the way. In fact, it may be that she utilizes it at the time of 

 emitting her spawn, as she could produce a gentle eddy of the 

 water in the direction of the male's pouch. 



I found by the microscope that diatoms were being generated 

 in the tank, and I fancied that my pet was feeding on them, for in 

 all my devices I did not succeed in feeding her myself. She would 

 show a movement in her tubular snout which looked like sucking 



