168 THE SEA-HORSE. 



something in. Sometimes she would stretch herself on the bottom 

 of the tank, and apply the tip of her nozzle in a way that seemed 

 to me like selecting by sight. And what a cunning look ! as with 

 sacerdotal steadfastness of purpose one eye was turned towards 

 heaven and the other kept upon the earth. Certainly her food was 

 microscopic, and in the hunt her optical application was binocular 

 or monocular at will. 



I noticed with some concern that the peculiar scales which 

 covered its body, and looked not unlike plate armour, were becom- 

 ing green. It proved that a growth of micrococci had set in, and 

 was rapidly spreading over her. I was quite solicitous about it ; 

 for it would hardly do for me to clean it, so tender is the little 

 creature. Its tank had become badly infested with these unicelled 

 algge. For the purpose of keeping up a supply of microscopic life 

 for its food, besides the little two-gallon aquarium, I kept two 

 specie jars going, and would transfer it to them, so that it could 

 have freshness of food. Deciding to clean up the aquarium, I put 

 it in one of the jars. It quite enjoyed the change, and to my 

 surprise performed a series of movements on the clean sand which 

 turned out to be successful efforts to scour off the green parasitical 

 slime. It needed patience, but that, with perseverance, did the 

 work. 



She was in a few days put back into her aquarium. The little 

 handling necessary always begat a discernible clucking as of terror. 

 It was really a species of snapping of the lips of the tubular 

 snout. I heard it often, and under different circumstances, and 

 thought I could detect three intonings — one which was excited by 

 terror, one denoting a pleasurable emotion, as when in play, and a 

 third when quite still, perhaps faintly, like the purring of another 

 pet. But perhaps my intense sympathy with the little creature 

 may give colour to these interpretations. 



Alas ! there was now too much ground for sympathy — a terrible 

 malady had begun to take hold of the poor thing. The face took 

 on a comical aspect. On each side rose a swelling as if she had 

 the mumps. With a hand-lens I found that these were blisters, 

 white vesicles, and so buoyant as to annoy her by producing 

 eccentric movements. I contrived to pierce them with a needle, 

 and so to let out the confined gas. This gave immediate relief. 



I 



