Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-03-17
a Model R0po.

So,omop sends us to the aunt 10
,.srn and T don't see why We should
NOT take lessons from other httie cfea-
tures in the world.
~ There's a modest little fellow IN the
sea now, who sets most beauniui e.-
ample Of paternal affection ana care,
yet T never heard that he was set up as
a model. To be sure he's never more
than four inches high. but that Is SIX
teen times as high as an ant, and virtue
doesn't depend upon size either. Tne
name of this interesting creature-tne
scientific name 1 mean-is Hippocam-
ms. but he is better known out OF the
hooks by the name of Sea Horse ana
doubtless most of you have seen dried
snecimens of the family in museums or
in nriyate collections of sea wonders.
His wife-well, we won't say mucn
about his wife, for she isn't modei Dy
any means. In fact, she shirks all tne
time-honored duties belonging to
mother. hands the young family over
to their father and swims off to have
good time in the world.
Papa Hippo seems not at ali troubled
or cast down by the unnatural behavior
of the mother. To tell the truth he
prefers to tend to the babies, and ls
yery nicely adapted to the work. In
deed. 1 don't suppose he would allow
the mother to interfere III his nursery
Arrangements If she wished. What do
Won suppose he does with all the eggs
he has charge of? He has no nest nor
house of any kind, and there are a thou
sand or two of them, for fishes, you
know never do things by halves. Well
he has no trouble, for nature has pro-
vided him with pocket, thickly lined
with fat, and into that convenient nur-
sery he receives the family, and there they
stay-pourished as some naturally think
by his fat-till they are big enough to
look ont for themselves There isn't
that an example for the world.
And that is not all Ordinary parents
of the fish family eat the eggs and the
little ones, not only of their neighbors,
but of their own family, while this ad-
mirable little papa of four inches high
was never known, however hungry, to
even so much as taste one OF hrs own
children. That is q very rare virtue, L
can assure you in-fish life.
When this self denying father thinks
the little ones big enough to take care
of themselves, he starts them In life by
bending his tail round like a hook,
pressing it against the bottom of the
pocket, and Just coolly showing them
out to take their chances in cold, wet
world.
This very unusual care for the little
ono. 20 - tba a,Iv otronua thipo ahout
the sea horse. His looks are as strange
as his manners. He has the droll fash
ion, as somebody says, of living inside,
instead oil outside, of his bones. So
he looks as though dressed in suit of
mail. His bones are not ghOstly-look-
ing white things, like the bones of those
who carry them inside-they are of a
soft gray color, ornamented with dainty
covering. He receives his name from
the shape of his head, which Is comi-
cally like that of a horse, and is always
carried partly erect in the water. He
has fin on his back, which looks like
beautiful fan tipped with yellow, and
is of course beautiful ornament. His
eyes are the color of gold, with an edge
of blue, and are not slavish twins, as
LuOSb eyes loOhltiS TIC HhAllC
On the contrary they are entirely indie
pendent of each other, so that he can
look two ways at once.
The favorite attitude of this little
oddity is holding on to a weed with his
tail, from which position he can dart
on his food as he gets sight of it
either worm. tish-egg, or some such
delicacy. He has side-fns, by means
of which he can swim, always standing
up, as you may say, in the water. But
he is not great swimmer; he prefers
to rest, holding on to a weed as / said.
Perhaps his tail is the most curious
thing about him. 1t is four-sided, like
a square file, and is covered with scales
like the rest of his body. 1t is long
and prehensile, like the tails of some
monkeys and to hold on to something
seems to be the delight of his life. III
two of them meet in the water, they
are sure to grab each other by the tail.
Very tiny atoms of sea horses (sea colts
you might call them), with tails no
bigger than bits of thread will seize
each other, and hold on for dear life,
never giving up till tired out. Little
was known about the sea horse till a
naturalist-Rey. Samuel Lockwood
kept several in an aquarium, and by
closely watching them, found out their
wonderful ways.