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Scrojie, a writer in the early ])art of the century, where he says : — " I like the society of fish, and as they cannot wiiii -iny convenience to themselves visit ine on dry land, it becomes me in a [)oint of courtes>' to pay my respects to them in their native element." (Quaintly as he expressed it, it forshadowed the study of their habits. Now Nature opi^oses certain obvious obstacles to the pursuit of knowledge in the witer, which renders it difif'jult for the ardent naturalist, however miii.h tie may be so disposed, toc^rr;, on his observation •; with tlie same facility as in the case of birds and mammals. Still by observation here, and e.\[)eri- ment there, watching through a sheet of piatc glass, naturalists manage to piece together a consideral)le mass (jf curious and interesting informa- tion of an out of the way sort, about the domestic habits and manners of sundry members of the finny tribe. To the eye of the mere casual observer, every fish would seem at first sight to be a mete fish, and to differ but little from all the rest of his kind. I]ut when one comes to Ipok closer into their ways, one finds fish are in reality as various and as variable in their modes of life, is any other great group in the animal kingdom. Concealed under st(ines in babbling brooks, hiding in the grassy margin of |)urliiig streams, buried in the depths of silent ponds, roaming in the submerged forests of aquatic vegetation, is a multiplicity of animal life that may profitably be mad. a study, and to thoroughly explam which would require a lifetime. In 1850, Mr. Robert Warrington addressed to the Chemical Society of London, a series of observations on li e fact announced by Ingraham in 1778, that plants immersed in water when ex|)Osed to the action of light, eiliiit.' j7MVger|, .arKl.t,hf^*e:i)i\seuuent necessity of their presence for the ix'€65cto(tbp*oi',.^ijiiMaJ Jffc'^ ,j W" jeported placing two small gold-fish iya^lasj^ haying Crst plant^jl jn sand and earth at the bottom, a small ))liwSt bi:vrrIli!Jne'rla/^'. IT&fc lr£t\eC,«,as Jhe leaves decayed, 61439 fouled the water, and to remedy this he tried the introduction of a few- snails, which, feeding on decaying matter, tjuickly restored purity and clearness to the water. In 1H52, he ex[)erimented with sea-water and its occupants, with equal success. To Mr. (losse, however, the well- known naturalist, may be attributed the popularity of the Acjuarium which is certainly the purest of all household recreations. His first work on the subject, somewhere about the year 1S55, was read with avidity, and although the London " Punch." levelled its keenest wij and satire against the new mania, and pointed to all the misha])S which might befall housekee|)ers by the breaking of the A(iuarium and the consc'iuenl deluging of carpets, the passion for aquaria grew, and in 1S57 ihcy may be said to have been formally established in England. In that year, one of the cpiarterly Review^ remarked that the making and stocking of these had created a new and important branch in com- mercial industrv. In iS:^6, Ijarnum mtroduced into New York the first of what he styled — "Ocean and River Gardens," and a few months afterwards tliey were for sale of all sorts and sizes, for private use. Before that, the glass globe for gold-fish was the only represent- ative of the new ajjparatus. In kee|)ing an Aquarium, very little is wanted besides the tank itself. It is well to have an india-rubber tube or a syphon for drawing off the water when necessary ; a wooden forceps for removing any object, and a sponge stick for cleaning the glass, together with a small fine-meshed hand net for handling any of the inmates if need be. Some years ago, when residing in New York State, I was attached to one of the iVIilitary Colleges affiliated with West Point ; and one of the first things that I did to engage the interests of the Cadets under my charge, was to turn their minds, during leisure hours, to the study of Natural History. As I was at that time making collections of all kinds, I enlisted them in the work of procuring specimens, and I organized, on our Saturday holiday, field parties among the woods and mountains in the was just at the • aiVantage of the first visit that I paid to, f*ie^ Y cjrji, to i*iiirrjiase:ap.t/\cnlariUAi for my own private use, which l*Jcq^jin'5ii;^'«i4y^r^/s, ojjeu' W n I purchased it, is, I think, sufficient evidence that it was well ada|)ted for its pur- pose. It is a comparatively small one, being only fifteen by nine inches. I think 1 may say it has d(me its full share in the way of attracting attention to '■ Life below the water." The first great difficulty I had to contend with was the multiplicity of objects that vverc brought to me for it by my cadets. You would be astonished if I were to give you all the varied sug- gestions that were made respecting what should constitute the floor of the tank, some recommending small pebbles, others, gravel or sand, till finally a compromise was efTected to the satisfactif)n of nil, by giving each of the proposed materials its own ])lace. Experience afterwards showed that a liiile clean river sand is the s.ifest ground work for all purposes. Then there was the natural inquisit'veness of boyhood to combat. Whilst the novelty was at its height, the inmates were subjected to all sorts of ordeals, such as i)oking up with a stick, to see if they were lively ; and a continual desire was evinced to handle them. Over- feeding was one of the most trying evils to contend agninst, for the superfluity of bread and meat supplied, in all good intent, for the use of the inmates, had a tendency to sour and discolor the water, and to create, when overdoses were administered, a fermentation by no means conducive to vitality. However, for the sake of encouraging research and creating amongst the cadets an interest in my Ariuarium, I would naturally put up with all these little inconveniences, removing as soon as possible when left to myself, all extraneous matters from the water, and by frequent use of the siphon withdrawing the disturbed contents to be replaced with fresh, healthy, spring water. In a very little time the Aquarium ceased to be a wonder and became an object of interest, and so my point was gained. I well remember its first inmate, which was the larva of a Dragon-fly, the various stages of whose subaqueous life were of continual int.^rest, and great was the astonishment one day, when only an empty case was found attached to the stalk of the water weeds, its inmate having taken to itself wings and disappeared. The locality afforded a splendid field for collecting, as the Croton River emptied into the Hudson within a 4 mile or two of the College. Rockland Lake and Maverstraw liay were on the opposite shore, whilst in the hills back of us were numerous |)()nds anil streams abounding with life. Near the mouth oftheCroton River lay the old Van Cortland Manor House, (jn the lawn of which was a fish [xind, constructed by some of the early Dutch occupants and well stocked with gold f;sh. During a heavy freshet one spring, some years previous to the tiniC I am talking of, the banks of this pond gave way, discharging its waters and its contents into the Croton River. As a consecjuence of this, the gold-fish took up their quarters in the Croton and Hudson Rivers, and it was no unusual thing when the fishern*an were drawing their seines in this vicinity, for a number of gold-fish to be among the fish taken. These were generally thrown back, but anyone on hand at the time could always j^rocure what he wanted and I, at various times, j^icked out such as I chose These fish had also from time to time been taken by boys to various ponds in the hills, so that there is no lack of gold-fish in the waters of West Chester County. I may here mention, that further up the Hudson River a similiar fish-pond years ago gave way, well stocked with the European Carp that had been brought from Holland. These have also taken to the Hudson River and are from time to time netted there. Being of the same family, they have crossed with the gold-fish in breeding, and the result is that a mottled fish is frequently to be seen, some of which bear very little of the distinctive red that marks the gold-fish proper. I have seen the latter in the lagoons along the railway in that vicinity, eight or nine inches long, and although it may be seem scarcely credible, I have seen them lying in shoals near the surface of the water on a bright sunny day, in such abundance that the surface appeared to assume where they were, a red tinge. The Hudson River is famous for its eels, and small specimens of these were occasionally brought to me. A scoop-net, drawn through the liquid mud in any of the tide-water pools along the river margin generally brought up more or less small eels, so that a good selection could be made of the size best adapted for observation. From the experience I gained with them, I would never recommend more than one small eel being placed in an aquarium, as two which I first intro- duced took up their respective quarters at either end of the tank, and ^^^^E. ^^^ % :imens of rough the ;r margin selection From the -no re than first intro- tank, and I were perpetually doing battle like knights of old, chargitii^ on each other most furiously, with the final result one morning of my finding both dead on the surface of the water, one of them having half swallowed the other, but the latter in the operation choked his con([ueror, with the result mentioned. A subsequent s]:)ecimen of mine was in the habit of secreting himself between two stones, with part of his body only exposed, as if watching everything. There is apparently much of the snake in their habits, and the same timidity exists in each I'he least noise disturbs their eciuanimity and thunder seemed particularly to affect my s[)ecimen. Although he occasionally moved round in ihe daytinie, night was the time for his activity, and the artificial light of a room seemed in no way to interfere with his apparent recognition of time. One eel at a time affords ample opportunities for studying the habits of that family. One of the most interesting fish to watch, is the cat-fish, which 1 am seldom without, but it must be kept well fed, and even then the fins and tails of other fish bear evidence of its attacks upon them. It is astonishing what an amount of food a cat-fish will swallow. You can watch his stomach swelling out to such an extent thai it p-resents the appearance of a fowl's crop when fed to repletion. After he has thoroughly bloated himself out, he generally settles down, under or beside a stone, and lies there in a sort of comatose state for some time, closely resembling in this the serpent family As soon as the affects of his meal has passed off, he becomes one of the most restless of the occupants of the aquarium, and swims backward and forward and up and down, incessantly, as if calling attention to his wanis I have not the slightest doubt that, after a time, fish know intuitive'y to a certain extent, when feeding time comes and the party that feeds them, I think the cat-fish are affected by, and feel coming changes of weather, but one cannot deduce conclusions from observations taken in a room where the temperature is probably uniform, as compared with the natural temperature out of doors. Sticklebacks I have had in abundance, but more than two at a time become a nuisance. Tt is a perpetual warfare all round, especially if the males predominate. They, together with sun-fish, are, probably the most pugnacious of all fish, showing hostility even to my finger when held towa'ds tlvjin under water, their fins and spines bristhng up like the hairs on a f)ull do^'s neck, when excited. They snap at everything, and it is impossible to keep any larvaj in an aquarium any length of time if these fisii are joint occupants. I have read of sticklebacks building their nests and f)reeding among the weeds in an ai}uarium, but I never witnessed any operation of this kind myself, as I frequently changed my tenants for the sake of watching the habits of the different kinds of fish from tmie to time brought to me, with the exception of thegold-fish» which I have alwnys retained. Bass, I find to be for the most part, nocturnal in their habits, lying comparatively still the greater part of the day. Like the sun-fish, they are very tenacious of the sjjot they select, which they occasionally sail (juielly round and round as if guarding, and woe to the unwary fish who may venture to settle down in the (juarters they have chosen. The ^mall brot)k su( ker, I have kept and watc:hed with a great deal of nterest. Tliey are usetul scavengers, cleaning up, l)y suction, everything they come in contact with at the bottom, rolling it over their palate, swallowing whatever suits their taste, and thus disposing of a good deal of refuse matter which otherwise gives consideral)le trouble in getting rid of. These fish are, however, of what I might style, too delicate a constituti(jn tc; be recommended as permanent occupants, Accustomed as they are to running water, and evidently given to roaming in streams, they seemed to suffer when [)ent up in a small space and except f(jr temporary ol)servaiion, I would not recommend their introduction into any i)rivjte acjuarium. Crayfish, in the same way, are very unsatis- factory occupants, and I never was able to keep one alive for any length of time. One of the most interesting fish that I ever had in my aquarium was a small gar-pike, which was caught in a scoop net at the foot of the locks here in Ottawa and brought to me. This fish lived for several weeks, and after his death I placed him in spirits, where he still exists, He was most unsociable, turning his back ujjon all other fish that approached him, accepting the apparent overtures of none. The only survivmg remnant of the fossil bony-scaled Ganoids of the Devonian rocks and belonging to the Mesozoic period, his pedigree probably causetd him to look down on the finny tribe of the present age as his ♦ If m ip like ything, of time luilding [ never ihanged inds of old-fish' r habits, sun-lish, isionally /ary fish II. The deal of /erything r palate, ood deal n getting lelicate a customed a streams, xcept for ction into y unsatis- any length aquarium foot of the for several still exists, ;r fish that The only ; Devonian e probably age as his inferiors. Hugh Miller, si)cakmg of the living rcprescnlativcs of these fossil fish, says :--" They seem to have been spared aiiii(i the wreck of genera and species to serve as a key by which [u unhj* k the marvels of icthyology of those remote periods of geological history appro|)riale(l to the dynasty of fish." I am inclined to think that my s|)ecimL-n scorned the ordinary food of tlie other fish, and died fri)iii inanition, as I never could induce him, while I was watching, to apjuoaf h while they were feeding, and if he did satisfy himself at all, it must have been under cover ot darkiii.ss. However, as he did not a|)[>ear emaciated at his death, he may tiave subsisted on animaicuhe in the f're-.h water from time to time supplied. The ordinary pike and doiee 1 never attempted to keep, and it is almost needless for me to say that brook tr(jul will not live in any ordinary aquarium. The " Shiner " is also too delicate for general keeping and recjuires highly aerated water. 1 have had almost all kinds of small fry, known as " iiiinnows," in my acjuarium, consisting of ytjung chub, dace and inmuows. 'I'liey aie very lively and become in a short time accustomed U) tlieir confined ()uarlers, but from their delicate formation I would never reconnnend them as permanent inmates. Ttiere is one exteption, liowever ; that is the barred, (.)r black minnow, which is very hardy and a very amusing fish to watch. Scmietirnes motionless on the bottom. a-> if wrapi;ed in deep meditation ; at other times balancing himself in the water, he keeps u\) a continual flapping of his ventral fins, working them like a fly-wheel, with ap])arentlv no other object than e.xercise. At other times, he darts about from side to side, and if more than one ot tliese minnows are occupants they seem to exchange ideas, as the Vest of his own species sail about conjointly with him. Moving about, as I have done, from place to place, my .\(iuarium occupying the safest place in my baggage and being the first thing attended to after unpacking, I have had opportunities of stocking it from various waters, and when I went to reside for a short time at IJuckingham I obtained one day, when fishing in a little trout stream, back of the village, a small specimen ot the»l]ull-head, one of the very few that I have ever taken. He was carefully consigned to my Aquarium but only lived a few days, owing probably, to his transfer from the clear, crystal waters of that running stream to the narrow compass of 8 still water, to wlii( h he was ima'THstoincd. lie lay all the tunc L'Msronccd Ijctwruii t\v«) small stones, liiilini; himself as closely as possible from observation, refiisinj^ food, and evidently snil.aig as wild aninuds no when lirsl MJaced in (onHnement. 'Che enormous si/x* of his mouth as compare 1 with his other dimensions, yavi' evidence of the capacity of these fish i.)i disposing .)f a large meal at a time, but I never had the satisfaction of witnessing the operation of feeding, and I fancy from the retiring habits of the " i)ullhead " family, veiy lutle is redly known about them. Now leaving fi^h. 1 must dwell for a minute or two. on the amphil)ious denizens ot the .\(|uarium. The Water Newt, Kft, and 'I'riton, famih known as Lizards, alihcugh as repulsive .i^- snakes to some ])eo])le, afford much interest and .iinusetnent. I must confess I have never been tond of th^-m, as I have a great aversion, inborn I sui)|)Ose, to both lizards and snakes, but 1 ii.ux had Tritons in my Acjuarium, as thj cadets I spoke of, frecpicnMy brought tliem to me. The Triton is t>\ no means shy, and is really grotesipK' in his m(»\e- nients, lying sonu-timos midway between 'tv bottom and the surface, with all his legs spread out at right ai.gKs. .\t other times he suspends himself in the water, moving his feet up and down as a Ijather triads water, then darting frantically about with great rapidity Occasionally he sits erect on the bottom of the aiiuaiium, on his hind legs with his fore paws beiu forward, like a dog begging. This position tin- Triton will keep for some time. He is also fond oi ,'sting on any ptirtion of rock projecting out of 'he water, but if he can by any possibility climb to the edge of the aipiarium, that is the last of him, as he is evidently of a roving disposition, ind in search of the nearest road to liberty he is very apt to be crushed out of e.xistence under foot. The Tadpoles that were bnjught to me in every stage of growth were, as the auctioneer says : ''Too numerous to mention." I occasion- ally, to please the bringer, ke[)t one or two for a short time, or till such period as their tails dropped off, at which stage of. their exis ence, if I had not treated them myselftto freedom, they would have gained it for themselves, as a frog in the state of maturity can only be kept in bounds by a fine wire grating laid over the aquarium, without which it is futile to keej) them for observation. The tadpole, owing to the imperfection tlie tune loscly as j; ;is wild IS size of nee of llie ut 1 never id I taney J is re illy o, on tin: l^ft, .lIKi snakes U) ct>nfess I inborn I )ns in my •in to me. his move- le surface, L- suspends lier ir.ads ccasiunally ;s with his the Triton {xjrtion of )ility climb s evidently 5 liberty he of growth I occasion- nr till such ice, if I had lined it for It in bounds 1 it IS futile m perfection of its nills has to frequently rise to the surfa<-e with a rapid /ig-zag motion, something like an unsteady kite in the air The process of change in these iinimals is very curious. i'lu- hind legs are the first to a[)|)ear, and there is an interval, ranging from one to three weeks, before the fore legs push through the skin. Then the metamorphosis is rapid, the tail is absorbed and the final state of frog hood is re iched Among the respective inmates of the A(|uarium, which were brought to me, was a small Turtle, about Lhe size of a silver dollar, fur whose benefit a small fragment of rtjck, ;)f(;jecting a little above the surface of the water, was provided, on whici this animal delighted to sun himself whenever there was a chance, but at the slamming di . door, or even at the vibration catised by walking scross the floor he would imtniMiintely slide off the rock, and swim violently about ior a f . inini'es. If . was not one of the "snapping" order, but black, with red inp.i,.s on the under part of his shell. Turtles seem to be very susrcpii.jle to sound and, apart from noticing ordinary noises as above mentioned, he had a habit of constantly turning his head from side to side as if listening. He was very ravenous, the food I gave him consisting of earth worms, and small pieces of raw meat. Thtsc he would hold with lis fore paws while he pulled at them and occasionally shook them, miich in the same way as a terrier does a rat. His end was like that of all pels. He contrived one night to creep out of the aquarium, got on tiie floor and was crushed by the heavy tread of a human foot. Another inmate, whose movements I watched with great interest, was a leech ; not one of the kind used by doctors, but that known as a '' horse leech." 1 he movements of this creature were very interesting. Fastening himself on the side of the glass, he would swing his body backwards and forwards, elongating and contracting it by turns, in every direction, as if looking out for something, and when finally satisfied that there was nothing within reach, he would slide himself along the glass the length of his b-dy when extended, and then again go through the same proceeding. I would not, however, recom- mend the introduction of leeches into ordinary aquaria, as the fish therein are sure to suffer from their attacks. These, however, seem to be made under cover of darkness, for I never saw my leech attack any * m I!' 10 i u of my fish, though the ''eath of some of the'^\ while he was an inmate, I attributed to his work. A very interesting class of occupants are the so-called Fresh Water Snails, among which I have always preferred Planorbis, whose shell reminds one of the fossil ammonite, Paludina, or marsh agate shell, IJmnaia, and Physa. These arc all and each a study in themselves. Seen only in their native state they would seem to possess few |)oints of attraction, but when under observation they are very different. The species of Physa and Limiuea have a curious habit of floating on the surface with shell downwards, proi)elling themselves by a wavy motion of the wing-liktj ai)paratu.s that encircles their body. They all multii)ly rapidly, attaching their eggs by a transparent subsiance to the glass, or to stems of plants, but the voracity of their co-occupants, — fish — seldo'U allows them to C)me to maturity, so thai there is an alarming table of infant mortality among^^t tht;se .-ihell fish. The utility of these as agents in kee[)ing down the green grinvth of confervie in an aquarium is great and the way in which they clean the glass is most interes'.ing. The occupant wer, by his swaih along a meadow. .-Mthough I have had what are known as '' fresh-water clams," that is the Unios and the Anodons, as occu[)ants, they are unsatisfactory, i^nd if a [)erson wishes to study their habits, I think they ought to have a receptacle for themselves. They recjuire a muddy bottt)m in which to move, and their habits are so distinct and different from those of everything else that they would need segregation from other occti partis. Water Beetles arc another interesting branch of life under water, but the larger ones are too voracious to be kept any length of time. I introduced the large Horny-cased, Hlack Water- Beetles (species of 11 inmate, I esh Water hose shell ;ate shell, lemselves. ■ pouits of ent. The iig on the vy motion 1 muiti[)ly : glass, or 1— seldom ; table of f these as [uarium is iteres'.ing. i[)|)arently ch is the e]), like a ervie on ])on it all aniavil's iortion of ck of the iMVver, by known as )ccupants, habits, I re([iiire a iiinct and ;gregation er water, time. I pecies of Dytiscus), into my aquarium several times, but I found that they were given to roam by night ; rising to the surface they would unfold the gauzy wings encased under the horny covering and take flight froni the water, and would be found next morning somewhere about the room if there was no outlet, or attention would be called to their escape, from their flying about the room like a small bat. I may state here that it is not unusual to find these insects on our sidewalks at the foot of an electric light i)ole, to which they seem attracted by the glare. There is another Beetle (a species of Acilius) wiih a bronze casing, which is an interesting object, from its raivd moti(jn an 1 apparent game of hide and seek from stone to stone. A few years ago, a specimen o( Menobranchus, that curious batrachian with gills and breathing tuljes protruding therefrom, was offered to me by a boy w'lo hoi caugtit it whilst fishing in our Rideau Canal. Re|)ul- sive k)()king as these creatures are, I would have liked to have studied his habits, but the reptile had been so bruised that it was too far gone to make use of, and I liave never since had an oi>[)ortunity of obtaining one. These animals arc nu:nerous in the waters of 'be Ottawa, and are not unfrcnjueiitly taken by persons bait-fishing. I h.ive seen s])ecimens in one or two window.^^ in town here, Imt the pent up waters of an ai|uariuni seem scarcely healthy enough for them, as I noticed their place was very soon ein])t^. I believe that it remains an open ([uestion as t(>» wliat senses are ])<)ssessed by Fish, apart frt)!n that of si!.',ht. There is every reason to believe that they possess the facuhy of .smell, for it i^ no uncommon thing when fishing to notice their manner of swimming round and about the bait that is us.d, bringing their heads in contact with it, even pushing it, which to my mind is evidence of their using their olfactory organs to helf) them lherel)v to ascertain the quality of the bait. .Xgain, many fishermen use oil of aniseed and other essences on their bail, which they affirm have the property of attracting fish, and I myself have many a lime noticed a fish after dallying with the apparently tempting looking bait and moving it with its snout, finally turn away as if in disgust. Sir Humphry Davy says he thinks the principal use of no.-,trils in fish is to assist the propulsion of water through their gills, but he thinks also there are some nerves in ihesa organs which give a .sense of the (jualities of M I I H 12 the water or of substances dissolved in, or diffused through it, simihar to our sense of smell. With regard to hearing, it is very difficult to arrive at any conclu- sion, for what may be attributed in them to the sense of hearing is, in most cases, if not all, attributable to vibration. A sudden slam of the door, a clap of thunder, or a stamping on the fl.)or will start into violent movement a fish lying pertectly still. I remember as a b )y, standing by a fish pond, belonging to my father, (at which, by the way, before the days of aquaria, I picked up a good deal of knowledge on the habits of fish,) watching a shoal of roach sunning themselves on the surface. A dark cloud was speedily approaching, from which suddenly burst out a bright flash of lightning without in the least disconcerting the fish, bui the instant the thunder sounded, they dissappeared with a dive down- wards, scattering in all directions, and I am very much inclined to the opinion thai it is vibration or percussion alone that supplies to them what with us we attribute to hearing. Those who had the pleasure of listening to Dr. I'owell's recent lecture on " Sound ", will remember that his exp'anation of hearing was, that it i-; to a great e.xtent, based on sound vibrations conveyed through our organs of hearing, to the brain. The vision of Fish is peculiarly acute. Phis is known to all fisher- men, who, on a sunshiny day carefully avoid letting their shadow, or even the shadow of tiieir rod fall upon the water. I have seen trout dart from cover to seize a t)ait floating midway down the stream and before they had reached it suddenly turn back, deterred from their object, either by a shadcjw cast on the water, or by a sight of a man on the bank. When a strange fish is put into an atiuarium, he at first avoids showing himself in the open when an observer is by, but when he becomes accustomed to frequent visits he seems to have no objection to a stranger and swims about unconcernedly. Fish exhibit an inquisitive turn of mind. If a new pebble is dropped into an aquarium they watch it from a distance, evidently with great curiosity. After a while they will swim around it at a respectable distance, till one of them, bolder than the others, makes a dash at it, immediately rejoining his fellows. Then one or two will swim round and round it, gradually ap{)roaching nearer to it, till finally they conic in contact with it and, when satisfied that it is an object of no harm, they when of th really fresh them; suctic depos has bi prope for thi V but I one b: reason their 1 pent I time tc deduct after ui last, ar of Jam till the properl the she apparei of colo aifectec ancmg minnov escapee II a pecul: only on show wl iL 13 :, similiar to • my ronclu- ;aring is, in ;lani of the into violent standing by before the le hal)its of surface. A burst out a he fish, but dive down- ined to the ies to them pleasure of member that ;ed on sound )raiti. to all fisher- shadow, or I seen trout stream and from their f a man on he at first but when |no objection pebble is |idently with respectabk dash at it, swim round they come )f no harm, they then pass and repass it without any further apparent notice. Again when fresh plants are placed in an aquarium, they will swim in and out of them in every direction as if to satisfy themselves that they are really plants. Another curious thing that I have noticed is that, when fresh clean sand is deposited in one spot, they are very fond of balancing themselves over it in an almost perpendicular position, drawing in, by suction, a mouthful of it, which they convey to another spot and there deposit it, carrying on this operation till quite a quantity of the sand has been removed. This apparently curious habit I attribute to their propensity for preparing in their natural condition, a fitting repository for their spawn. Whether Fish have taste or not, is I think i)ast our comprehension but I am inclined to the idea that they have for we all know that when one bait fails to attract, another will often prove attractive, and the only reason one can naturally assign for that is that it is one more suited to their taste. I should like to say something about the diseases to which Fish, pent up in acquaria seem subject, but although I have suffered from time to time by apparent epidemics, I am not able to pronounce any deductions from these losses. Only this winter I record the loss, one after another, of some 12 or 14 minnows which I obtained in October last, and which remained thoroughly strong and lively till the early part of January, when they commenced to sicken and die two or three a day till the whole disappeared. The water was regularly changed and tiiey properly fed, but some evident epidemic had taken possession of the shoa), as happens among the human race. The symptoms were an apparent enlargement of the head, with protrusion of the gills, and loss ot color in the tail end of the body. The air bladder was evidently affected as they first kept on the surface, then lost their power of bal- ancmg themselves and within twenty-four hours, died. Two small minnows which have occupied the aquarium since the previous winter escaped, and are still alive. I have noticed that in a majority of the deaths amongst my Goldfish, a peculiai fungus-lilje growth covers the gills, sometimes both, sometimes only one gill. This seems to come on in the last stages as it does not show when they first sicken. The early symptoms are violent restless- u ir^ ness, darting to and fro, even knocking their heads against the glass as if delirious ; then loss of balance, the air bladder loses its power and the victim lies on its side with the tail bent downwards as if contracted by spasm, sometimes for two or three days. I have tried everythmg ; change into warm water ; change into very cold water, and I once tried the effects of bread crumbs soaked in wine (a remedy used in Germany to revive carp when transported for long distances) but all to no effect and I have now come to the conclusion that man cannot prescribe for the denizens of the water, the conditions of life being with them so utterly different from other animal life. The apparent attack of an epidemic amongst fish, which is known to take place in their natural habitats, is only part of that law of nature which subjects life of every desciiption to attacks upon it. Goldfish are naturally long lived and I have had specimens for ten years at a time, in perfect health. The limited space of an aquarium seems to dwarf their growth and size, as they certainly do not attain to their full proportions half as rapidly as in open waters. Catfish, when grown too large for their quarters, I have frequently taken to the nearest stream and they swim off as unconcerned as if always accustomed to liberty. An aquarium owner soon comes to regard its inmates like all other pets, and it may be said in their favour that they do not require anything like the attendance needed for other living pets. The loss of them is in certain cases more difificult to replace as you cannot always obtain, at the time, a specimen of the kind perhaps most wanted. There has been great discussion as to the best aspect in which to place an Aquarium, and opinions are varied, but the conclusion I have arrived at is, that a northern aspect is desirable, a southern aspect is worst, and the western nearly as bad, as the sunlight falling on it materially assists the green coating caused by the growth of confervas on the glass. The bottom, which ought to be, if possible, of slate, should be covered with small pebbles or fine gravel about an inch in depth, leaving a small patch for clean sand. Earth is not required, as water plants mostly grow floating. A few pretty stones or a little rock-work sh6uld be added with a part of the latter projecting above the water for the, purposes already alluded to, especially if fish only are to be kept, as the latter delight in loitering in the friendly shade of a rock. Besides the pleasing appear i 15 le glass as ^er and the itracted by everything ; once tried n Germany :o no eflect rescribe for th them so ttack of an heir natural ife of every. fiens for ten in aquarium do not attain rs. Catfish, 1 taken to the accustomed its inmates they do not pets. The you cannot nost wanted, in which to sion I have rn aspect is it materially on the glass. be covered ving a small mostly grow e added with ses already ter delight in ling appear ance afforded by water plants, the purpose of vegetation is to decompose the carbonic acid ga.s thrown off by animals, the carbon being absorbed into the substance of plants, and the oxygen set free for animal life. Even a growth of confervas, unsightly as it is, is conducive to this. In a large A(iuariuni,a lily may be introduced, planted in a shell or small i)ot, hidden by weeds, but any i)lant that grows above the water is apt to aid any creei)ing animal to effect his escape. The whorled millfoil is one of the best plants for general use as it prefers still water, and 1 have succeeded, by inserting it late in the fall, in keeping it through the winter in suffi- cient (juantity to answer all purposes. The goldfish and others of the Carp family, nibble :U it, and it is probably as essential to their welfare as vegetables are to man. Valisneria is a clean, sightly plant and answers well as an air provider, besides being one of the few plants which afford a macroscopic view of the circulation of the sap in the leaves There is a pleasure in connection with keeping an Aquarium, that to a lover of Nature, adds materially to the charm that attends the observation of its inmates, and that is the rambles made to collect various specimens of acjuatic life. The keen lookout for water snails amongst the vegetable growth at the bottom or on the surface of some stagnant pool, and the eagerness to get the little scoop net over one, perhaps just out of reach, affords a pleasure, equal to, if not surpassing that felt by the sportsman beating the bush for game, or the fisherman eagerly watching his bait. The health-giving stroll along the bank of some tiny streamlet, on the lookout for minnows or larvae or any of the varied inmates of its waters, is far different from the monotonous con- stitutional, along the dusty highway, of the man who has never read a page out of Nature's book of life. The most important principle, per- haps, in life, is to have a pursuit, a useful one if possible, and at all events an innocent one. The scenes you enjoy, the contemplation to which they lead and the exercise attendant on specimen collecting are salutary to the body as they are to the mind. I always find a peculiar effect in such outings ; they carry me back to early times and feelings, and create afresh the hopes and happiness of youthful days. Could we all recover anyt^ritig J^k-e tjrat ffeshntfes 'of: rnmd possessed in youth, which, like the cfew of morning covered all objects, and in which they I / 16^ were more beautiful than even in midday sunshine, what would we not give ? Rambles with an object go far to bring back the spring of early life. In conclusion, I will quote t»ie words of Sidney Hibbard, in an Article on the subject of this evening. He says : — " The Acquarium introduces us to new scenes, hitherto hidden from our view, and makes us acquainted with the economy of creatures of whose very existence, many of us, not altogether unlearned in the his- tory of the world, were previously ignorant. Their habits of feeding, moving, and burrowing, their battles, their change of form, the display of even a strange intelligence working its way by wonderful means to wonderful ends,,impress the observer with the idea of the boundlessness, the variety, the adaptations and resources of a world brimming with life, in all manner of strange forms and developments. Here we see them equipped and armed for battle against each other, the strong destroying the weak, yet each contributing its part to the preservation of the whole, just as in all other departments of Nature, the great balance of perfection if sustained by incessant and intestine war ; the struggles of opposing elements and powers and beings, all working mysteriously m a manner independent of isolated circumstances, Nature, the prodigal mother, setting no value upon individuals, but regarding tribes and races as paramount, the whole seeming confusion tending to one end ; the revo lution of the mighty wheel on which the creatures are painted as signs in which ages are but minutes in a revolution which itself is eternity. In the midst of all, everlasting Wisdom watching, loving and sustaining; happy we to get some glimpses of His method of working through the medium of the strange creatures whic n leave the mysterious deep to throw a new radiance on our homes." •♦- ^^- • ■ • • • -4»« ^^ \ ■■'« -Nc, I at would we not e spring of early Hibbard, in an erto hidden from of creatures of irned in the his- bits of feeding, arm, the display derful means to e boundlessness, raming with life, ire we see them trong destroying on of the whole, nee of perfection les of opposing isly m a manner irodigal mother, les and races as ; end ; the revo painted as signs self is eternity, and sustaining: :ing through the iterious deep to V