THE 
AMERICAN NATURALIST. 
VOL. XXI. FEBRUARY, 1887. No. 2. 
MORE ABOUT THE SEA-HORSE. 
BY SAMUEL LOCKWOOD. 
HE July number of the American NATURALIST for 1867 
contains my article, “The Sea-Horse and its Young.” 
Although the result of a long study of living specimens of this 
eccentric fish, yet some questions remained unanswered. At the 
time mentioned I was living at Keyport, on Raritan Bay. Early 
in 1870 my residence was changed to Freehold, fourteen miles 
inland, hence it has happened that specimens sent me have suc- 
cumbed before reaching my home. A happy exception occurred 
November 1, 1884, in the arrival from Shark River of a fine large 
female Hippocampus heptagonus Rafin. As the subject of my 
article in 1867 was a male, I prized my new pet highly. 
With an aquarium devoted entirely to this specimen, I set 
about studying her peculiarities. She had the same habit of 
converting her tail into a prehensile organ, and so would coil 
the tip around a tuft of sea-lettuce, and with the pretty dorsal 
fin in movement like an undulating ribbon, would sway to and 
fro, keeping the body erect. The sight of the sea-horse alive in 
the water is always pretty, although quite grotesque, for its ac- 
tion differs so greatly from that of other fishes, which are prone, 
and usually move in a line parallel to the bed of the water, 
while, as a child would express it, the sea-horse swims standing 
up on its tail. The crested head is erect,—the action though stiff 
is graceful, not unlike the knightly steeds on the chess-board, 
very quaint yet comely. ; 
VOL. XXI.—NO. 2. 8 
