them to the common mind. They appear to lead 

 dull and uneventful lives; and their habits cer- 

 tainly are peculiarly prosaic. Only their develop- 

 ment is unusual. 



Is there nothing, then, that can be said regarding 

 these odd creatures which is worth hearing? . . . 

 I think that there is much that can be said. It is true 

 that the interest attaching to them is primarily sci- 

 entific; nevertheless, rightly interpreted, a study 

 of the liippocampid? s ways holds an attraction 

 which will be found to be fundamentally com- 

 posed of all the elements of that universally ap- 

 pealing quality known as "human interest." 



To such an interpretation I shall address myself, 

 chiefly because I am aware of no popular exposi- 

 tion of the subject, and in order to satisfy what 

 seems to be a prevalent curiosity regarding the 

 ways of a creature as which no other of the sea 

 has so singularly identified itself in popular fancy 

 and of which so little is commonly known. Also, I 

 am no less moved to make this attempt because of 

 the intrinsic attraction which is undoubtedly that 

 of the sea-horse. 



But the story of the kippocampicFs ways, how- 

 ever well translated, would not be complete for 



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