. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. TUE MliJrjSS SEA-UORSE. long compressed flexible spines witliout appemlages, which extend in piiiis along the iippermost part of the back, while a single series extends along the middle line of the belly. Small short conical spines run in a single series along the middle line of the sides, and along the lateral edges of the belly; and there is a pair of similar spines in front of the base of the pectoral fin. The tail, which is about as long as the body, carries the doi-sal fin ; it is quadrangular, and has sharp edges. It carries along it
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. TUE MliJrjSS SEA-UORSE. long compressed flexible spines witliout appemlages, which extend in piiiis along the iippermost part of the back, while a single series extends along the middle line of the belly. Small short conical spines run in a single series along the middle line of the sides, and along the lateral edges of the belly; and there is a pair of similar spines in front of the base of the pectoral fin. The tail, which is about as long as the body, carries the doi-sal fin ; it is quadrangular, and has sharp edges. It carries along its upper side live pairs of band-bearing spines, which terminate in branching ; Hippocampus is a genus found in the open seas in all temperate and tropical regions. The fishes attach themselves by the prehensile tail to seaweed, or any floating substance, and thus become drifted by cuiTents over gi-eat distances. There are eighteen species adiaittetl by Dr. Gunther,. but he remarks that the length of the snout, the shape of the shields, and the development of the- tubercles, show such an amount of variation as to make great difficulties in determining the species. The body is compressed from side to side, and formed of ten or twelve rings, behind which is the four-sided tail. The shields are armed with spines or tubercles, and at the back of the head there is a prominent crest, which terminates in an elevated knob, or coronet. There are also eminences above the eyes, in the temporal region, and at the base of the pectoral fins. The males carry the eggs in a sac at the base of the tail, opening near the vent. The females have a small anal fin, The British Sea-horse (Hippocampus antiqiwrum), which is rare off Britain, is much more abundant in the Mediteiranean, and has been found on the west coast of Africa, and the norlheni shores of Australia. It has often been kept in confinement. When swimming, the, position is vertical, with the head more or less bent, though t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectanimals
