452 Prof. Fries on the Metamorphosis 



to the young so sure a place of refuge. That such a relation 

 must exist between the pipe-fish and their young, analogy ap- 

 peared to require ; and another circumstance which I had 

 noticed seemed to indicate the means by w^hich this was 

 accomplished. The marsupial pipe-fish and ophidial pipe-fish 

 exhibit, as is well known, a great difference in their motions 

 and change of positions. The Marsiipiales, which possess a 

 stiff" short tail, provided Avith a fin, swim like other fish chiefly 

 by the help of the strokes of the tail. The Ophidii, on the 

 other hand, with a long roundish tapering and very flexible 

 tail, w ithout any fin, receive little or no help in their progress 

 through the water from this organ, which is generally kept 

 still during swimming, and may rather be regarded as a helm 

 than as an oar. When the marsupial pipe-fish rests, or re- 

 mains still, it sinks extended to the ground, and lies on its 

 belly with its tail extended, while the ophidial pipe-fish with 

 great dexterity entwines its flexible tail around any object that 

 may be present. We always see them holding fast in this man- 

 ner, when they find anything that may be encircled ; and even 

 when no such object presents itself, but several individuals 

 kept in the same vessel, frequently the tails are seen entwined 

 round one another, and thus forming groups w hich in a certain 

 degree resemble the old figures we see of the so-named *^ Rat- 

 kings." This peculiarity in the ophidial pipe-fish suggested the 

 idea that probably the young might possess this property in 

 a still higher degree, and by this means might fix themselves 

 to the male parent when any danger threatened them. In 

 order to learn whether this was really the case, I procured a 

 living male with eggs attached to the vent, placed it in a se- 

 parate glass vessel filled with fresh water, and resolved to at- 

 tempt to keep it alive until the eggs should be hatched and 

 the young should have made their appearance. Chance would 

 have it, that it was just our rarest species, S. lumbridformis, 

 which first fell into my hands, in a condition suitable to my 

 intended purpose. It was tow^ards the end of September that 

 the fish was placed in the vessel with water. He appeared 

 at first to thrive very well, although he refused all nutriment 

 of whatever kind that I offered to him. The water was changed 

 twice a day, morning and evening, when I carefully examined 

 my prisoner. At the commencement of the observations, the 



