36 NATUEE STUDIES. 



likeness in colour to the animal's surroundings. It is 

 the same with soles, turbot, and with the skates and 

 angel-fishes. Watch the first flounder you see resting 

 on the sandy bed of the Aquariam-tank, and you will 

 receive ample proof of the truth of the foregoing 

 remarks. And should you chance to see the lazy 

 " monk/' or angel-fish, as it lies prone, heavy, and 

 indolent in the highest degree in the flow of its tank, 

 you may again understand something of the value of 

 colour as a means of protection to animal life. 



In the case of those <f queer fishes/' the little sea- 

 horses, or hippocampi, with heads like horses, and 

 with a body which, at large, reminds one most 

 forcibly of some figure from the Heralds' College oi> 

 a crest, concealment is effected in a slightly different 

 fashion from that prevalent among the soles. Hero 

 the body, as a rule, possesses long streamers or fringes 

 that mimic the seaweeds; so that, as the animal 

 reposes, its body may well enough represent a stone,, 

 to which are attached fragments of marine vegetation. 

 The Australian sea-horses, which live among red sea- 

 weeds, have streamers of that hue attached to their 

 bodies, and the mimicry and imitation of their sur- 

 roundings are thus very complete, Even their near 

 neighbours, the pipe-fishes, with green bodies, when 

 they fasten themselves to some fixed object, and 

 "loll" in the water, may closely resemble an inert 

 piece of green weed. 



Amongst even the highest animals, protective 

 colouring is common. A lion's hue matches the sand r 



