t 
1887] ; More about the Sea-Horse. 113 
is not in the way. In fact, it may be that she utilizes it at the 
time of emitting her spawn, as she could produce a gentle eddy 
of the water in the direction of the male’s pouch. 
I found by the microscope that diatoms were-being generated 
in the tank, and I fancied that my pet was feeding on them, for 
in all my devices I did not succeed in feeding her myself. She 
would show a movement in her tubular snout which looked like 
sucking something in. Sometimes she would stretch herself on 
the bottom of the tank and apply the tip of her nozzle in a way 
thàt seemed to me like selecting by sight. And what a cunning 
look! as with sacerdotal steadfastness of purpose one eye was 
turned towards heaven and the other kept upon the earth. Cer- 
tainly her food was microscopic, and in the hunt her optical 
application was binocular or monocular at will. 
I noticed with some concern that the peculiar scales which 
covered its body, and looked not. unlike plate armor, were be- 
coming green. It proved that a growth of micrococci had set 
in, and was rapidly spreading over her. I was quite solicitous 
about it; for it would hardly do for me to clean it, so tender is 
the little creature. Its tank had become badly infested with 
these unicelled alge. For the purpose of keeping up a supply 
of microscopic life for its food, besides the little two-gallon 
aquarium, I kept two specie jars going, and would transfer it 
to them, so that it could have freshness of food. Deciding to 
clean up the aquarium, I put it in one of the jars. It quite en- 
joyed the change, and to my surprise performed a series of move- 
ments on the clean sand, which turned out to be successful efforts 
to scour off the green parasitical slime. It needed patience, but 
that, with perseverance, did the work. 
She was in a few days put back into her aquarium. The . 
little handling necessary always begat a discernible clucking as 
of terror. It was really a species of snapping of the lips of the 
tubular snout. I heard it often, and under different circumstances, 
and thought I could detect three intonings,—one which was ex- 
cited by terror, one denoting a pleasurable emotion, as when in 
play, and a third when quite still, perhaps faintly like the purring 
of another pet. But perhaps my intense sympathy with the 
e creature may give color to these interpretations, 
Alas, there was now too much ground for sympathy,—a ter- 
_ rible malady had begun to take hold of the poor thing, The face 
” 
