416 HISTORY OF THE FISHES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



Hippocampus Hudsonius, Behay. 

 Short-nosed Sea-Horse. 

 (Plate XXXIII. Fig. 4.) 



Sijngnathus hippocampus Sea Horse Ptpejish, Mm cu ,Tmn8 Lit and Phil Soc ofN Y,i p 475. 

 Ilippocampus brevirostris, Short nosed Sea Horse, Stori!.r, Repoit, p 167. 

 Hippocampus Hudsomus, Hiidbon River Sea Horse, Dekay, Report, p 322, pi 53, fig 171 

 Hippocampus hrevirosti is, Linsley, Cat of Fishes of Connecticut 

 Hippocampus Hudsomusy Storek, Mem Amer Acad , New Series, ii p 491 

 « '* " Synopsis, p 239. 



Color. Yellowisli-brown througliout. 



Description. Body heptagonal, composed of twelve segments, which are armed on 

 each side with three rows of prominent spines, and a single row of similar spines 

 are noticed beneath. The greatest depth of the body is across from the dorsal fin. 

 The length of the head is more than one fifth the entire length of the fish. The 

 head is compxessed upon the opercula and surmounted above by a bony prominence 

 which expands into five points, four lateral and one posterior. Behind this are 

 situated the branchial orifices. A short spine is seen at the base of the snout, in 

 front of the eyes ; on each side of this is a minute spine ; directly above each eye is 

 a larger spine ; and at the posterior angle of the eye is a very short one : beneath 

 the eye, on the throat, are two small ones on each side. The snout is straight and 

 tubular, and measures ten lines to the anterior base of the opercula. The eyes are 

 large. The tail is quadrangular, about half of its entire length ; it is divided into 

 thirty-four segments, and gradually terminates in a point. 



The dorsal fin is situated upon a slight projection of the dorsum, composed of 

 three segments, at the origin of the tail. 



The fin rays, as well as can be determined with the specimen much conti acted and 

 otherwise injured by drying, aie as follows: — D. 18 or 20. P. 14 or 15. A. 3 or 4. 



Length, five inches. 



Remarks. In my "Eeport" I described this species from the only specimen I 

 had seen. It was found by Dr. Yale upon the shore at Holmes's Hole, and was sent 

 by him to the cabinet of the Boston Society of Natural History. He observed, in 

 a letter to me, " he never knew one to be taken alive, yet they are fiequently found 

 on the shore." The specimen described was a female. As I have seen no specimen 

 since that was noticed, I can only redescribe it, and accompany the description with 

 a figuie, which, considering the diied condition of the fish, is quite accurate. 



I was undoubtedly in error in considering this species as the bremrostris^ and 

 with pleasure adopt the specific name of my lamented friend, Dr, Dekay. 



Massachusetts, Stoeee. Connecticut, Linsley. New York, Mitchill, Dekay. 



