Fishes. 95 



will know the Sea-horse, Hippocampus (Fig-. 130), which is sold dried, 

 as its hard skiu preserves the shape of the animal. The life and habits 

 of these fish, so common in the Bay of Naples, are very attractive. 

 Everything- about them seems as different from other fish, as is their 

 shape, which reminds one of a gracefully carved chess figure. They seem 

 to do best where plants or worm-tubes g-ive them plenty of opportunity 

 of fastening- themselves with their finless tail. When swimming- in their 

 g'raceful manner, their dorsal fin is in constant wave-like motion. They 

 float up and down, l)end themselves about, chase each other, or swim in 

 couples clasping- each other with their tails, or in other laughable atti- 

 tudes. This playfulness is chiefly exhibited in autumn, which is their 

 breeding- season; and loving- couples may be seen swimming or resting- 

 tog-ether and billing each other like a pair of turtle-doves. The eggs as 

 soon as laid arc received by the male animal, which carries them about 

 in a pouch on its ventral surface until the young are fully developed. 

 As his family become more and more lively within the pouch, they cause 

 so much irritation that the father considers it time to get rid of them; 

 this he does by successive abrupt bendings of that part of the body 

 which bears the pouch. At each bend the pouch opens and a number 

 of small beings are ex])elled, separating immediately and swimming about 

 very actively; their size is about a sixth to a quarter of an inch. — 

 Economically tiie Sea-horse is of no value whatever. It seems to have 

 no enemies in the sea; in tiie Aquarium, at least, where it has been 

 kept with all sorts of animals, it is never touched. 



To the Lophobranchii belongs also the Pipe-fish or Needle-fish, 

 Syngnathus (Fig. lUo). They live in the beds of Posidonia and resem- 

 ble most accurately, both in shape and colouring, the dying leaves of 

 the latter. The male of this aninuxl also takes care of the eggs till thev 

 are hatched. 



The freely swimming fish to which we shall now turn contain 

 most of the well known sea fish. They pass most of their life floating 

 or swimming, and thus pi'ove that they have a complete mastery over 

 the element in which they live. But a number of them also frequent 

 the coasts, from habit or in search of food; while others swim about to 

 greater distances, or may, like the pelagic fish, become independent of 

 coast and sea-bottom and live in the open water. 



We shall first treat of those kinds Avhich frequent the coasts, be- 

 ginning- with the Labroida, characteristic by their large protrusible lips and 

 conspicuous by their brilliant colouring. The Ijrightly coloxired Wrasse, 

 Labrus (Fig. 36 and 37) , and the Peacock-wrasse , Crenilabrus 

 (Fig. 34), l)elong to this group; they swim about with a curious jerking 

 motion. The gaily coloured Labrus festivus is interesting on account 

 of the close watch the jealous male animal keeps over its brood. The 

 small Julis pavo and Coris vulgaris (Fig. 15(i and 157) are graceful 

 and brilliant fishes darting about the tank. They are possessed of intense 

 curiosity and great greediness, devouring instantly anything- that is thrown 

 to them. They are very sensitive to the cold, and retire into the sand 



