112 More about the Sea-Horse, [ Feb. 
I had through all those years desired to see the giving of the 
spawn by the female and the taking of it by the male; for, as 
shown in that article of 1867, the male Hippo is not only father 
but nurse to the young. In his front, just a little higher than the 
vent, is a sac, into which he receives the eggs of the female, and 
in which he hatches them. My desire was to see the method of 
taking the eggs into this pouch. Did he put them in or did she? 
Despairing now of ever seeing them in apposition, I must de- 
scribe the act as I think it does take place. 
I cannot believe that the twain are without emotion, since it is 
true of some of the higher fishes that the love-season calls out 
their intelligence to its highest manifestation. Suppose in our 
latitude it is July. A pair of these Hippocampi meet. They 
curl their prehensile tails about each other and assume an erect 
position, face to face. , The female emits her eggs in a slow 
stream immediately over the pouch, which opens and closes at 
the top. The motion of the mouth of this sac is that of suc- 
tion, thus the eggs are actually drawn into it. There they are 
patiently hatched and also nourished, as shown in the paper 
referred to. This apposition of the sexes, to be sure, is hypoth- 
esis, yet I think it will prove to be true. At any rate it is the 
outcome of long and patient thought, and is perfectly consistent 
with observation of habit. 
When the young are ready for eviction, the pouch, which on - 
receiving the eggs was fat and thick, has become flaccid and 
thin. Its adipose lining has been absorbed by the young fishes. 
So badly wasted is the pouch that muscular action sufficient to 
expel the brood is impossible. The father-fish evicts his charge 
in the following way. Hè gets himself in an erect position along- 
side of some object, a stick, stone, shell, or plant, either hook- 
ing the end of his tail under it, or in some way getting hold by 
its prehensile tip. Then stiffening the whole body and keeping 
it erect, he leans upon the object and brings himself down 
against it with a jerky movement; this rubs up the pouch, push- 
ing out some of its occupants. Bids: ising eeacatediy until 
the whole brood is forced into the water. 
: _ Now, it is observable that an anal fin would be greatly in 
