THE BRITISH SEA-HORSE. 57 



long compi-essed flexible spines without appendages, which extend in pairs along the uppermost part 

 of the back, while a single series extends along the middle line of the belly. Small short conical 

 spines run in a single series along the middle line of. the sides, and along the lateral edges of the 

 bellv ; and there is a pair of similar spines in front of the base of the pectoral fin. The tail, which 

 is about as long as the body, carries the dorsal fin ; it is quadrangular, and has sharp edges. It 

 carries along its upper side five pairs of band-bearing spines, which terminate in branching filaments." 

 Hippocampus is a genus found in the open seas in all temperate and tropical regions. The 

 fishes attach themselves by the prehensile tail to seaweed, or any floating substance, and thus 

 become drifted by currents over great distances. There are eighteen species admitted by Dr. Giinther, 



PHYLLOPTERYX. (From the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society.") 



but he remarks that the length of the snout, the shape of the shields, and the development of the 

 tubercles, show such an amount of variation as to make great difficulties in determining the species. 

 The body is compressed from side to side, and formed of ten or twelve rings, behind which is the 

 four-sided tail. The shields are armed with spines or tubercles, and at the back of the head there is 

 a prominent crest, which terminates in an elevated knob, or coronet. There are also eminences above 

 the eyes, in the temporal region, and at the base of the pectoral fins. The males carry the eggs in a 

 sac at the base of the tail, opening near the vent. The females have a small anal fin. 



The British Sea-horse (Hippocampus antiquoruni), which is rare off Britain, is much more 

 abundant in the Mediterranean, and has been found on the west coast of Africa, and the northern 

 shores of Australia. It has often been kept in confinement. When swimming, the position is 

 vertical, with the head more or less bent, though the angle is then rarely so great as in dried speci- 

 mens. When several are together they frequently twist their tails into a band, and thus attach 

 themselves the more firmly. This species is of a dark olive-brown colour, with bluish-white spots, 

 and lines on the sides and tail. The eyes move independently. On the coast of Ireland specimens 

 have been taken from the stomach of the Cod. 

 198 



