HIPPOCAMPUS EASTMAN. 355 



ship, with a cord, and onely let it down, so far as the fish may stick by tlie 

 lieel of the ship, for it cannot any wayes endure the ayr ; and when it sees any 

 tish or Tortoise, wliicli are there greater tlian a great Target, tliey let loose the 

 fish ; he so soon as he is loose, flies swifter than an arrow on the other fish or 

 Tortoise, and casting that skin purse upon them, layes hold of his prey so fast, 

 that no force can unloose it, uulesse they di-aw up the cord a little and pull 

 him to the brink of the water. For so soon as he sees the light of the ayr he 

 forsakes his prey. Martyr. Rondeletius ascribes to him the understanding of 

 an Elephant, for he will be tame, and know what is said to him. (P. 301.) 



In the early collection of voyages known as " Libretto de Tiitta 

 la Navigations," etc., and " Paesi novamente Retrovati," published 

 in 150-1: and 1507, an account is given by Peter Martyr of fishing 

 with the " anguilliform Eeversus" (probably Echeneis naucrates)^ 

 which appears to have been derived from personal conversations 

 with Columbus and his companions after their return from the sec- 

 ond voyage, in 1494. The narrative reads : 



Afterwards they found further onward [among the Queen's Gardens, ofE the 

 southern coast of Cuba] some fishermen in certain of their boats of wood exca- 

 vated like zopoli, who were fishing. In this manner they had a fish of a foi'm 

 unknown to us, which has the body of an eel and larger, and upon the head 

 it has a peculiar, very tender skin, which appears like a large pouch or purse. 

 And this fish they drag, tied with a noose to the edge of the boat, because it 

 can not endure a breath of air. And when they see any large fish or reptile 

 they loosen the noose and this fish at once darts like an arrow at the other fish 

 or reptile, throwing over it this skin which he has upon his head, which he 

 holds so firmly that they are not able to escape, and he does not leave them 

 if they are not taken from the water ; but as soon as he feels the air he leaves 

 his prey and the fisherman quickly seize it. And in the presence of our people 

 they took four large tortoises, which they gave our people for a very delicate 

 food. 



It would be apart from our main topic to pursue the subsequent 

 history of the Eemora beyond calling attention to Aldrovandi's and 

 Jonston's portrayals of its form, as shown in our plate 4, figure 2, 

 and to Dr. Giinther's article on the genus (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 

 1860, 3. ser., vol. 5), in which the more important literary references 

 are collected. At this point we may say with Jonston, at the con- 

 clusion of his "Wonders concerning fishes," "so much then for 

 [this] fish." 



Paul Giovio (in Latin Jovius, 1483-1552), whose work on fishes 

 Avas first published in 1524 and passed through three editions, makes 

 no mention of Hippocampus ; and in the handsomely illustrated folio 

 of the Roman physician Salviani, published in 1557, one finds only 

 the bare references to its mention by earlier authors. 



We come now to the great encyclopedic writer, Conrad Gesner 

 (1516-1565), apostrophized by Cuvier as "le plus savant naturaliste 

 du seizeieme siecle." The account of Hippocampus given by this 

 compiler in his " Fischbuch " (1556), and also in his " Historise Ani- 



