eally a vast marine tenement-house for a
social community of beautiful sea-worms, who build up houses of shelly
tubes twisted and fastened together. Each worm has a stopper, or cork,
to his shell, with which he can close up the entrance to his house.

When this sea-worm is feeding he throws out from the entrance of his
tube a beautiful double plume. These worms are the favorite food of the
sea-horse, who sucks them out with a sharp snapping noise.

[Illustration: SEA-HORSE.]

The sea-horse is considered to be one of the greatest prizes that can be
obtained for an aquarium. For dignity of carriage, grace of motion, and
beauty of form, he excels all other fish. The papa sea-horse takes care
of his children the same as the pipe-fish, to which he is closely
related; only his pocket is in front of him, and is much larger, and
different in shape. This pocket is lined inside with a fatty substance,
on which the young sea-horses feed till they are strong enough to be
crowded into the world. The sea-horse, when he thinks it time to turn
out his children, presses his big pocket (for he has no hands nor claws)
against a shell or piece of stone, and out swim the young horses. At
first they are apt to form into bundles by locking their tails together,
but as they become accustomed to their new surroundings, and are
stronger, they separate. The male sea-horse displays much pride over his
young, and remains with them several days. Sea-horses can look two ways
at once, as each eye moves independently of the other.

[Illustration: TUBE-FLOWER AND SERPULA.]

The tube-flower is very common along our coast. It lives in a long,
thin, light-colored tube, composed of a material resembling horn. It has
the power of stinging slightly, but, for all that, is so beautiful that
no aquarium should be without it. This animal casts off its flower, or
head, every few days, after which a new one makes its appearance.

[Illustration: SEA-ANEMONE.]

Sea-flowers (anemones) are always to be found in the same locations with
tube-flowers. Just to think of taking an animal that moves and eats and
breathes, and cutting him up, and that each piece will become a perfect
animal again! Yet such is the case with sea-flowers. When they wish to
produce young, they tear off pieces from their bodies (the base parts),
which soon develop into young sea-flowers. In the illustration I have
shown three kinds of sea-flowers, all of which are common on our coast.
The in