1-344 The Zoologist — August, 18G8. 



setting his progeny adrift. At the bottom of the vessel was a broken she'll, put there 

 for the attachment of the animal's tail, when fatigued by swimming — as the sea-horse 

 is very easily tired — and this, monkey-like, is its favourite mode of taking rest. The 

 shell afforded real help in the labour of extruding the young, which is in no sense a 

 parturient process, but, on the contrary, is entirely mechanical, and in the present case 

 was effected in the following manner; with its abdomen turned towards the shell, its 

 tail attached to the under part of it, the body erected to its full height, the animal, by 

 a contractile exertion of the proper muscles, would draw itself downwards, and against 

 the shell, thus rubbing the pouch upward, and in this simple yet effective way expelled 

 the fry at the opening on top of the sack. It was said above that the sea-horse, is soon 

 wearied with even moderate exertion ; hence, probably, it was that these repeated acts 

 were each followed by a few minutes of rest. Indeed, the extrusion of its young lasted 

 for nearly six hours, from three to six individuals being set free at a time. The scene 

 that followed was one of singular and lively interest. I was nervous with delight, and 

 wished that every naturalist could see it for himself. Using my best judgment — for, 

 owing to the mazy motion of this tiny throng counting was out of the question — I set 

 the number down as not far from a thousand. Each measured from five to six lines in 

 length. Very minute creatures, truly, when one considers how large a portion is taken 

 up by the tail, which organ was of but little more than thread-like dimensions. We 

 might suppose it would require a few days for the young hippo to find out the remark- 

 able inonkey-like endowment of its tail. Not so. Only look at what my own eyes 

 beheld many a lime, when a "stampede" of these little colts was going on, although 

 they were but one day old. There come two little hippos each swimming in a direction 

 at right angles to that of the other. Just at the point of passing, one, lasso-like, whips 

 Ills caudal extremity round that of his fellow, who. of course in like manner, returns 

 the caudal compliment, which, to speak technically, acts as a " double-lock." Of course 

 both pull, and, by natural law, the force is exerted in exactly opposite directions, and 

 the right angle is resolved into a straight line. It is but poor head-way they make, nor 

 does it mend the matter much that a third little fellow conies giddily on, and, switching 

 his tail, takes a hitch at that precise point in space where the other two met. Now a 

 triple force is exerted, and the effect is, with two Straight lines to project three obtuse 

 angles. And so the three toil on, obtusely labouring in statu quo. But a droller sight 

 is that of youder juvenile Lophobranch, who seems to be of somewhat belligerent 

 proclivities, as he is leading by the nose a weaker member of his own species, having 

 with his caudal extremity noosed him on the snout. Unfortunately these little fish 

 perished in a few days, none living beyond a fortnight. — Rev. S. Lochwood, in the 

 '■American Naturalist.' 



Are Bees injurious to Fruit ? — Dr. H. A. Hagen, late of Konigsburg, Prussia, who 

 is an eminent entomologist, and who has paid special attention to the literature of bees 

 and bee-keeping, thus writes us regarding this question : — " I have never known, and 

 find nothing in the literature now at hand to prove that bees are obnoxious to fruits 

 and to fields. Bees can never use the fields of red clover; the corolla is too long for 

 their proboscis. But they are very frequently seen in the fields of while clover, and I 

 have heard that these fields are obnoxious to bees, if shortly before rain has fallen." — 

 * American Naturalist,' April, 1868. 



