The aquarium

DIVISton OF FISHES
« NATIONay MUSEUM

bi Pea

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‘Books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.”

ILLUSTRATED PAPERS

on the various questions arising in
the care of an aquarium or
the window garden.

PRICE FIVE FOR
25 CENTS EACH. ONE DOLLAR.

HUGO MULERTT,

("ember of the Imperial Russian Society of
Acclimatization)

Publisher,

BROOKLYN -NEW YORK.

Copyricut. ALL RicHTts RESERVED.

OCTOBER, 1896.

No. 41.

CopyriGHT 1896. Ati RIGHTS RESERVED.

IN AND OUTLETS FOR FISH
TANKS.

Quite recently there has been a great
deal of attention paid, in piscatorial
circles, here and abroad, to the drain-
ing of fish-tanks. The question is: Is
surface or bottom drainage preferable ?
We had the impression that this ques-
tion had been settled years ago, but it
seems that every nowand then mechan-
ics, insufficiently posted on the require-
ments of aquatic animals, are en-
trusted with the construction of a plant
intended for storage or exhibition of
live fish or other aquatic animals, and
this seems to be the cause that this
question has not yet come to rest.

This is really surprising, in view of
the fact, that gardeners, professional
or private, have, for about a quarter
of a century, ceased to give a contract
for the construction of a greenhouse or
conservatory to any other builder than
one who makes greenhouse construction
his specialty. The advantages of such
a proceeding are manifold, and they are
plausible, for his experience has taught
him what material and what style of
construction is best for a certain pur-
pose in a certain climate or locality.

The conservatories of former days
were built by first-class carpenters, of
the very best materials and were very
good for an architectural effect, but as
conservatories they proved, generally,
a failure, because the requirements of
plant life had not been taken in con-
sideration.

The construction of fish-tanks for
storage, market or show purposes is no
less important a matter than the con-
struction of a greenhouse. Here, too,
entirely too much importance is placed
upon exterior appearance of the tanks,
which are, as arule, of a highly orna-
mental pattern, of carved marble or
costly casting ; they are as decorative
pieces, quite a success. But asarule
they are not practical, and soon be-
come a burden to the proprietor.

Fish that are brought to stores, stalls
in the market or show tanks at an ex-
position, were generally freshly caught,
either from their native haunts or from
the pond in which they were reared.
Their stomachs and entrails are gen-
erally filled with food. If such fish are
carefully handled, their digestion is
not much disturbed, and we have only
their excrements and the surplus
of slime of their bodies to combat

66 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

against, but even this, when the num-
ber is large and the tanks small, will
rapidly poison the water. But when
the fish were carelessly handled, are
frightened, or willfully injured, as is
often the case, then we have, in addi-
tion to the natural deposits, partly di-
gested food, disgorged by the fish while
frightened, knocked off scales and
pieces of skinin the water. All of this
matter is being continually stirred up by
the motions of the fish and thus mixed
with the water, making the latter, as
it decomposes, more detrimental to
them every minute.

It is but natural that the most de-
sirable specimens, being used to the
very purest of water, are the first to
succumb, soon to be followed by others.
At best, all the fish become diseased,
either externally or internally, and fi-
nally die too.

To overcome this, fish tanks are sup-
plied with a constant stream of fresh
water entering on one end, passing
through the middle and leaving the
tank again on the opposite side. To
the casual observer this seems perfectly
sufficient, as it creates a current just as
we see it ina creek. But we must con-
sider that we have a great many more
fish over a given space of bottom than
are found in any creek or pond con-
tinually ; the foul air produced at the
bottom of a fish-tank is, therefore, al-
together out of proportion to that of a
creek, and our aim must, therefore, not
only be to supply fresh water to the
tank, but also to remove the decompos-
ing sediment from the bottom as soon
as it appears.

The annexed sketches will show the
reader the various styles of in and out-
lets, all of which have been in use with
success by the writer.

The tank illustrated on the upper left

hand corner of the plate, illustrates the
principle of forcing atmospheric air
into the water. As the water enters
the tank with great force through a
very fine jet, it carries some air deep
into the water, thus charging the same
with oxygen.

The foul water and the sediment col-
lected at the bottom are carried off
through a drain, best located in a cor-
ner inside of the tank; this takes the
water from near the bottom and dis-
charges it, at water level, through the
side of the tank.

In localities where the water supply
is limited, the manner shown in the
next tank to the right is convenient.
The foul matter is carried off at water
level through the bottom of the tank
by a standpipe. It is also taken from
near the bottom. This standpipe sys-
tem has the advantage that the water-
level can be regulated by it, all being
required is to slide the pipe up or down.
A cap, in shape similar to a test tube,
and of proper proportions to guarantee
a free flow, reaching to within a quarter
of an inch of the bottom, is supported
over it either at the top of the pipe, as
shown in the illustration, or at the bot-
tom by putting little feet to the cap.

For the introduction of oxygen in
the manner shown in the next tank, a ~
pretty strong force of water is required.
A strong glass tube, bent to a hook at
its lower end, is stationed in a corner
of the tank. In this tube a thin but
very strong stream of water enters,
the upper end of the tube being about
three inches above the water level. The
nozzle of the supply pipe is only about
one inch above the surface and inside
of the glass tube. The suction of this
stream draws air into the tube which
mixes with the water, is carried down to
the end of the tube, and enters the

67

THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

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IN AND OUTLETS FOR FISH TANES.

68 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

tank at the bottom. The drain is simi-
lar to that mentioned already above.

As is shown by these examples, the
current caused by the entry of fresh
water is used : (1) to supply oxygen for
the fish, and (2) to remove the foul
gases and injurious sediments.

A drain similar to the one shown in
this tank is used in carp ponds located
in cold localities. ‘The master fisher
on the estate of the late Eckardt, Esq.,
of Liibbinchen (Germany) first con-
structed a pond outlet after this prin-
ciple, his object being to carry off
the cold and foul water of the bottoms
of his carp ponds, retaining the warmer
and purer water of the surface. In
connection with a model showing the
construction and working of a carp
pond that we had on exhibition at the
Cincinnati Industrial Exposition in
1882, we showed this drain.

The lower illustration shows the bot-
tom section of an ordinary aquarium
tank. In localities where it is imprac-
ticable to use water from the city water
works, it being too muddy, or where
water is scarce, we found it beneficial
to the health of the fish to have a false
bottom about an inch above the real
one. The real bottom should slightly
decline towards the faucet. The false
bottom may be constructed of wire net-
ting as indicated in the drawing, or it
may consist of a strong pane of glass,
the latter cut to fit loosely all round.
The sediment will be worked through
the slits around the sides thus left and
the water kept free from impurities of
a visible form at least.

When selecting glass for this purpose,
let it be either white (so-called milk-
glass) or dark-blue in color, as these
colors show fish to advantage.

From time to time the sediment is
removed through the faucet, and fresh

water added by pouring it in with a
pail or watering pot.

ANCIENT FISH CULTURE.

From an interesting article in The
Fishing Gazette, on the “ Fisheries of —
the Greeks and Romans,” being a re-
print from the Bulletin of the United
States Fish Commission, we clip the
following :

THE MURAENA.

The muraena is described in the fol-
lowing manner by Paul Jovius, whose
words are given in a literal translation
to show at the same time how natural
history was written in the sixteenth
century :

“* Muraenas are found in great num-
bers in all parts of the sea, but those
from the coasts of Sicily are the largest
and best. ‘These are the kind which
Columella calls ‘flutes.’ They swim
near the surface, and it therefore some-
times happens that when the warm
rays of the sun dry their skin, thereby
depriving them of their flexibility, they
can no longer dip beneath the water
and can easily be caught with the
hand. They are speckled, and are
said to have star-like figures on their
sides, arranged in the shape of dippers,
which, however, disappear immediately
after death. They possess great cun-
ning, for when they find themselves
caught they swallow the hook, bite
through the line with their teeth, and
thus make their escape. Iam of opinion
that the ancient Romans prized the
muraena more on account of its long
life than of its delicious flavor, for the
large number required for daily use could
easily be kept in ponds prepared for
the purpose, while most other fish soon
died, either through grief at having

THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896. 69

lost their liberty or through neglect of
the pond keepers. We know from
Pliny that C. Hirrens at a banquet
given to Cesar as Dictator could place
on the table 6,000 muraenas from his
own ponds. Muraenas could easily be
tamed and taught to take food out of
a person’s hand. Croesus, surnamed
The Wealthy, was so much attached to
amuraena, which he had raised himself,
that when it died he shed tears and had
it buried. We also read an account of
an answer which Croesus gave to L.
Domitius, who laughingly expressed
his astonishment that any one would
weep over a dead muraena. It might
perhaps be thought strange, he said,
that he, Croesus, shed tears over a dead
muraena, but it was far more strange
that he, Domitius, did not shed any tears
over his three dead wives. (Domitius
had three wives, whom he is reported
to have poisoned in order to obtain
their property. )

Certain ladies showed great affection
for muraenas. Thus Antonia, the
daughter of Drusus, adorned a tame
muraena with gold rings and bracelets.

Muraenas eat human flesh, and the
cruelty of Vedius Pollis in this respect
seems wellestablished. He placed those
of his slaves who had been condemned
to death in his fish pond in such a
manner that they could not be eaten at
once, but were gradually torn to pieces
by the teeth of the muraenas. It is
said that the muraenas breathes through
its tail, and therefore dies sooner when
struck on the tail than when struck
on the head.

D. Ambrosius and several other
ancient writers assert that snakes mate
with muraenas, and that the latter
entice the snakes to the seaside by a
certain peculiar whistling sound.
Athenaeus does not believe this, and in

corroboration of his opinion quotes
from a work on popular superstitions,
written by Andreas. Muraenas spawn
all the year around, and of this kind
the murus, the largest and strongest,
is of a uniform color very much re-
sembling that of the larch; so at least
Aristotle affirms. Pliny calls this kind
myrinus. There isalsoariver muraena,
which is much smaller and has only
one point; and which, according to
Dorianus, is the same that Athenaeus
calls gollaria, and I think that Athe-
naeus must have meant by this smaller
kind what we call lamprey, and not the
sea fish. Iresius assures us that the
flesh of the muraena is not less nourish-
ing than that of the eel, but on account
of a certain hardness and moisture it is
very indigestible. It is, however, much
prized on account of its delicious
entrails, with which, as Lampridius
tells us in his history, Heliogabalus,
while far from the sea, regaled his
court and the whole rural population.”

PEARL CULTURE.

A pearlis the result of an oyster’s
effort to remove a source of irritation,
says the Chicago Record. Ifa grain of
sand or some other hard substance finds
its way into the shell the oyster begins
coating it with nacre, which gives the
irritating intruder a smooth exterior.
The oyster deposits over the offending
object as long as it remains a source of
irritation, and the Chinese have taken
advantage of this peculiarity of the
solitary mollusk, They make little pel-
lets of earth which has been dried and
powdered with the juice of camphor
seeds, and during May and June plant
these in the oyster. The shell is open-
ed with a mother-of pearl knife, care
being taken not to injure the oyster,

70 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

and the earth pills are laid under the
oyster’s beard. The treated mollusks
are then placed in canals and pools, and
left undisturbed until November, when
they are dredged up, opened and the
nacre-covered pellets removed with
sharp knives. The pellets are usually
found fastened tightly to the inner sur-
face of the shells.

The Chinese pearl farmer then turns
jeweler. He drills a little hole into
the pearl at the place where it was fast-
ened to the shell and removes the dirt.
The cavity is filled with yellow rosin,
and the opening sealed neatly with a
tiny bit of mother-of-pearl.

But a Frenchman has improved on
this method. He found that the Chi-
nese killed many oysters by forcing the
shell open to deposit the earth pellets.
The ingenious Frenchman bored holes
in the shells of the oysters with a small
drill and then introduced through the
opening little globules of glass. He
plugged the holes with corks and then
left the oysters alone to manufacture
pearls. In six months the glass nucleus
was covered with a pearly deposit, and
the Frenchman reaped a bountiful har-
vest of pearls. He did not have to
bore holes in the pearls to remove the
centre, and the pearls brought higher
prices than the pearls made by the
Chinese.

These artificial pearls have much of
the lustre and beauty of the real gems,
but are sold at a much lower rate by
honest jewelers. Experts can color
pearls black, pink, gray and other col-
ors by the use of chemicals. For in-
stance, a pearl put in nitrate of silver
turns black. But pearl raisers know a
trick worth two of that. Certain kinds
of fresh water mussels bear pink pearls,
and pearl oysters produce different col-
ored pearls, according to the part of the

oyster which is irritated by the foreign
substance. The artificial pearl pro-
ducer knows this, and plants his seed
accordingly. In Washington is an ar-
tificial pink pearl as large as a pigeon’s
egg, and its heart is a bit of beeswax.

Perfectly round pearls which weigh
over twenty-five grains each are scarce,
and command large prices, but such
pearls are natural. Artificial pearls
are usually flat on one side.

PLANTING YOUNG FISH.

Young, artificially hatched fish, in-
tended for stocking open waters (creeks,
rivers or lakes), should not be fed ar-
tificially. They being expected to
make their own living, it is best to
make them dependent upon their own
resources as soon as the desire to feed
is noticed and their digestive organs are
about developed, which state is easily
ascertained by unfailing signs.

In nature young fish begin to look
out for themselves at this age, and in
tanks they manifest their desire for in-
dependence ; they become enterprising,
especially towards night, and many of
them will make their escape through
the overflow pipe. We have had fre-
quently opportunities to meet such de-
serters again later on and noticed, to
our surprise, that in every case they
had, in a remarkable degree, outgrown
all their comrades. Follow Nature!
She is a reliable teacher.

Young fish that had been regularly
provided with food, artificial or natural,
and kept in shelter, have not learned
how to hunt and how to protect them-
selves. They have also lost much of
their alertness, and they will conse-
quently fall an easy prey of their many
enemies.

It is, therefore, of great importance

THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896. 71

that the hatching of the eggs and the
development of the young fry should
keep pace, as much as possible, with
the food supply out of doors. The
laws of nature cannot be transgressed
without punishment, and the fish cul-
turist who hatches his eggs too soon is
in the same position with the gardener
who plants too soon.

The best localities where to plant
young fish are shallow places in creeks,
inlets of lakes, or little runs to which
large fish cannot go. If possible, places
near a spring should be selected, where
an abundance of suitable live food and
shelter, in the way of flat, hollow-lying
stones, vegetation or brush is to be
found. Sometimes it becomes neces-
sary to prepare such sheltered places
for their receptton, and if this is the
case, these should be completed days
before, so that everything is in readi-
ness when the fish have arrived at that
stage of development where nature di-
rects them to hunt.

It being of great importance that the
young fish should find plenty of food
and shelter, in order to rapidly outgrow
many of their enemies, it would be
against their interest were we to plant
them all, or too many, in one place,
thinking that they will scatter grad-
ually by themselves. Such a proceed-
ing would exhaust the food supply too
rapidly. This would retard the growth
of: the fish, and besides, such a large
gathering of young fish would attract
their enemies in great numbers. The
securest plan is, therefore, to plant
them towards evening, in a great many
different places, and only in small col-
onies. ‘Thus, all the advantages for
their struggle for existence are in their
favor.

SS

Show this copy to some friend.

Bounty FoR DestTrRoyYING FIsH
ENEMIES.—In Utah they give a bounty
for fish-eating birds. Three boys re-
cently brought in 1,630 heads of dif-
ferent birds, claiming the bounty.
Other States should follow.—/ishing
Gazette.

This is a movement in the right di-
rection.* In the editor’s opinion, there
has been entirely too much attention
given to the hatching of fish and not
enough to their protection. There are
exceptional cases where fish are best
hatched artificially, but the majority of
our food fishes will propagate bounti-
fully in their natural haunts. Artifi-
cial fish hatching isan important factor
in fish culture, but only when sup-
ported by a proper system of fish pro-
tection, otherwise it isa costly scien
tific toy.

Were a person to hatch eggs in a
carefully guarded incubator located in
a well ventilated room and right after
hatching, turn the little chicks into an
empty lot, over which he has no control,
and where the cats, dogs and also thy
children of the entire neighborhood run
at liberty, with the expectation of see-
ing them grow to be fowls, fit for the
table, he would not be considered a
very wise man. This very same meth-
od has been carried on for years and
years, with fish hatching. What we
need is more fish protection.

We are pleased to report progress on
the work of the New York Aquarium.
The glass has all been reset this sum-
mer, the tanks having been made shal-
lower, and the artistic decorations of the
interior of the entire building is nearly
finished. In our next issue we may be
able to have illustrations showing sec-
tions of the Aquarium as it now appears.
> # Some fifteen years ago, while living in Ohio, we

advocated a bounty for fish enemies, but we were not
supported.

02 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

THE AQUARIUM.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE.

$1.00a Year. Single Oopies, 25 cts, Each.

Advertising Rates on Application.

HUGO MULERTT, F.I.R.S.A.,
Editor and Publisher,
173 Nostrand Av., Brooklyn, N. Y.

ORCHID COLLECTING IN NEW
GRENADA.

«* Jose, this night you have to sleep
here in the house, as to-morrow we
shall go out for a fortnight.”

Jose, to whom this order was given,
is my ‘‘ boy,” twenty-four years old,
married, and a pure Indian. He is a
great thief, and robs and cheats me
whenever he can; indeed, people who
know him well warned me not to let
him see that I carry any large sum of
money about with me. He was a
soldier for six and a half years, knows
every path in the environs, and is
always willing to do as I order himn—
qualities which, after six weeks spent
in my service, I have discovered that
he alone possesses among the four
“‘boys” I had employed. Jose, to
whom I give six reals (two shillings
six pence) per day, and boarding, asks
me for an advance of five dollars, for
his wife.

The mule is carefully fed and re-
ceives a double portion of bran with
syrup, likewise corn and grass ad (ibi-
tum ; the saddle and harness are exam-
ined, and the bridle sent to the saddler
for a small repair. All the necessary
objects for traveling are set apart, to
be fixed on the saddle, or put in the
four saddle pockets, as waterproof
hayeton (a heavy woolen cover envel-
oped in a goatskin), nuana, a bottle of

brandy, cigars, matches, knife, thread,
candle, cholera drops, opium, sticking
plaster, lint, balsam, odontalgia, qui-
nine in pills and powder, purgatives,
emetics, alkali, liniment, lancet and
pincers, my medicine chest, thermo-
meter, and a drinking cup made of the
shell of a cocoanut. In a wicker basket
two and a half feet high and one and a
half feet wide, which is to contain the
plants gathered, and which the boy
carries on his back, I put fifteen pounds
of dry meat, at one shilling per pound,
five pounds of bread, some cocoa, rice,
peas, biscuits, extract of meat, two
wooden spoons and a towel. I myself
am provided with great waterproof
boots, large spurs, a twelve-meter re-
volver in my belt, and a hatchet, and
am dressed in warm clothes. We start
at half-past four in the morning, in
the brightest moonshine, after taking
coffee, bread and eggs.

The journey commences step by step,
and half an hour after, we go on slower
still—we begin to mount. The road
is intersected by two ridges, each two
leagues up and one league down, and
as, on the average, in the Cordillera
one hour and a half is spent in travers-
ing a league, we arrived in Mutiscua at
half-past ten, just in time for breakfast,
after having stopped twice on the road
to wet our throats. A six-penny worth
of grass is purchased for the mule, and
one pound of meat and a little choco-
late is handed to a woman who pre-
paresit for us. At midday we continued
our journey, and an hour afterward the
wind began to blow more and more,
becoming colder and colder, and we
enter into the Paramos—mountainous
districts.

Up to this point the way was in
pure rock, four to six feet wide, un-
even, rough and stony, with incessant

THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896. 73

windings ; sometimes rising steeply on
both sides, sometimes rising on one
side, with afrightful abyss on the other.
Protruding blocks of rocks and dis-
rooted trees above, often threaten the
rider on these ways, which become
still more disagreeable when one meets
a train of mules loaded with boxes,
bales, etc. Several times I got such
knocks on the knee-cap, that I was
almost’ ready to fall down from my
mule. On such roads boxes are quite
useless.

It is just on such routes as these that
goods of all kinds have to suffer, and
that my darling plants are injured so
much, if not altogether spoiled. Col-
lisions with mules bearing on their
sides packages of one and a half quin-
tals each, which sometimes, as in the
case of tobacco boxes, empty bags, etc.,
are very voluminous, are on such
roads inevitable, the more so, as from
five to six beasts are driven by one
man, and these caravans consist very
often of from thirty to forty mules,
As the pace of loaded mules is a
quick one, the shock is a very rude
one. There is no other road in this
direction, and the communication be-
tween and Bucaramauga is very
animated.

The only way to diminish the danger
is to travel as quickly as possible, and
to avoid the approach to towns on
market days. Another way of account-
ing for the frequent losses in damage-
able cargoes is to be found in the mode
of fastening them to the sides of the
mules ; for, naturally, in order to re-
sist the often-repeated shocks against
other mules with baggage, which they
meet on their way, or trees and rocks
that obstruct the road, these packages
must be fastened very closely, and the
ropes make deep grooves in their sides.

We continue our journey. Now we
get on a little quicker, because of the
cold and the road being level, and fur-
ther because the next cottage is some
three leagues distant. There we arrive
at four o’clock, just when mist and
damp begin to cover everything.
Donna Maria, the housemother, is a
chuffy, unfriendly old woman ; but as
I always show her little attentions,
which take the form of a present,
sometimes of a shabby image of a
saint, another time of a ribbon for her
daughter, she offers me the best place
near the big three stones (the fireplace)
in the kitchen, which is safely closed,
and where the smoke of the tremen-
dous fire intended for cooking, warm-
ing and lighting all at once, makes the
eyes weep The kitchen is at the same
time saloon and dormitory for the most
favored guests ; and for that reason |
receive, after the dinner (off my provi-
sions), a cow skin and the privilege of
choosing the best place in the kitchen.
The amiability of the householder
reaches its height when two sheep
skins are opened for me—the saddle-
pad supplies a pillow, and at eight
o’clock we go to rest. Ten minutes
afterwards my boy at my side snores so
loudly that I am obliged to give him a
poke in the ribs. For me there is no
thinking of sleep, on account of the
hundreds of fleas, and so I have suffi-
cient time to make my plans for the
next day, to think about orchids and a
thousand other things, including the
paying orders floating between London
and

Awaiting anxiously the approach of
day, my boy receives a second poke.
He awakes and asks me whether it is
time to saddle the mule. Not yet ; it
is midnight. Then I am startled by
the crowing of a cock, at some distance

74 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

over my head. Half the box of matches
is spent before I find a candle in the
saddle-pocket. It is five o’clock, and,
therefore, time for rising. Jose, who
had gone for the mule, comes back with
a piece of the strap of leather in his

where, in a square mile, there is not a
handful of grass to be met with. My
boy runs back, and returns two hours
afterwards, but without.the mule, and
there is nothing for it but to wait till
somebody coming the same way may

THE HoME OF ORCHIDS.

hand, wherewith the mule was tied to
a pole the evening before—hungry dogs
had eaten the leather and liberated the
mule, which, of course, looked for a
more hospitable land than the Paramo,

be able to give us some information.
That happened, happily, some time
after. The owner of a great train of
mules, who was going from Bucara-
mauga to with tobacco, and who

THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896. re)

was now on his return, had seen my
mule near Mutiscua, and he suggested
that his people, who had remained be-
hind, would probably have caught my
mule and bring her along with them ;
indeed, about mid-day I was so happy
as to see my mule again. ‘T’o the peo-
ple who brought the beast I paid one
dollar, and to every one a drink, by way
of contribution. It was too late now
to start that day, so I resolved, there-
fore, to proceed the next day, very early,
and did so.

From here are three leagues, half of
it still in the Paramo; the other half is
a horrible slope, before reaching Tona,
at every path increasing in richness of
vegetation. At the end of the Paramo
there is a cottage, from which a wo-
man called to me by name, and asked
me if I would be so kind as to dis-
mount for a moment. Politeness is
very seldom experienced in this re-
gion, but in this case there was a mo-
tive for it. When I passed, two and a
half months ago, for the first time on
this road, the night surprised me, and
I was obliged to ask her for a night’s
lodging. ‘There was a small boy of
seven or eight years, whose eyes were
full of suppuration ; I myself washed
his eyes with warm camomile tea, and
-as I did not know what more to apply
or prescribe, I wetted a piece of linen
with the white of an egg, and covered
his eyes with it. It is easy to fancy
how terrified I was a week later, on
my return, when passing there, to see
the poor boy just as I had left him,
with his eyes glued. I thought my
practice would have occasioned bad
consequences, but, happily, and to my
greatest surprise, after removing the
rag with warm water, his eyes were
perfectly re-established. A stranger,
in the opinion of the people, must al-

ways be something of a doctor, and
they would take it to show a want of
good will, should one deny to lend
medical assistance when it is wanted.
I am not very formal in the choice of
remedies, and apply, in specially diffi-
cult cases, pills made of a little bread
and epsom salts, the fingers being al-
ways sufficiently dirty to give them, by
kneading and twisting, a professional
appearance. Faith renders the doses
efficacious, and I am not astonished
when people thank me afterwards for
my good services, as this poor woman
did : she offered me a cup of soup.
Such people do not believe medicine
to be efficacious if it is not dear, or has
no disgusting taste. In general, the
people on the Paramos are inhospitable,
lazy, extremely dirty, superstitious,
thievish, distrustful, cowardly, and,
therefore, cunning. They have some-
thing of the character of gypsies ; with
all that, the journeys in the glacial
Sahara, as it may be called, are the
most disagreeable ones imaginable.
From the end of the Paramos one
descends rapidly and continuously till,
after two hours, we arrive at a small,
unfriendly town. There exists no inn,
but a shopkeeper of my acquaintance
offers to lodge me in his house. A let-
ter of recommendation to the clergy-
man, Dr. P., which sometimes is of
great use, is delivered, and after dinner
Iam so fortunate as to meet with the
man in whose territorial possession, one
league distant, I intend to pick up my
plants. Mr. M. is very glad to see me
again, and we arrange to meet the next
day, he undertaking to procure two
workmen, axes, and beasts, for the
transport of the collected plants. The
next day I meet Mr. M. at ten o’clock,
the worse for drink, and when I speak
to him about our agreement he begins

76 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

to insult me, saying he would not fulfill
his engagement, and that all strangers
come only to his country to exhaust it,
and to deceive them, etc. To avoid a
quarrel, and concluding that for this
day there is nothing to expect, I return
to the town. When intoxicated, people
often show their true sentiments, and
in such a condition we learn, alas ! that
we strangers are only tolerated, and
that their kindness is only simulated.

The next day Mr. M. comes to town
and asks me to excuse his having of-
fended me, and invites me to come on
the following day, when he would pre-
pare everything necessary, to fell the
trees, etc. This day I could begin my
work, collecting on two trees about the
contents of half a box of plants, which
I transport to the house. The next day
heavy rain prevents me from doing
anything ; only after seven days is the
quantity of plants I want brought to-
gether, and I am fortunate the next
day to find the necessary mules for
their transport. The plants are packed
with leaves of bananas and moss in
nets, similar to fishing nets; this is a
day’s work, and afterwards they are
loaded on the mules, which bring them
home in three days. Immediately after
arrival they are discharged and spread
out on the floor of my house, whilst I
go with fresh linen to the bath house,
to clean myself of the different insects
wherewith clothes and body are covered.
— Gardener’s Chronicle.

MOIST AIR FOR HOUSE
PLANTS.

Every florist and plant-grower will
answer the oft-repeated question ‘‘How
canImake my winter plants flourish?” by
saying ‘‘ You must keep the air moist.”
How to do this is, however, to many,

a troublesome and unsolved problem.
We have found by experience that the
simplest solution to the problem is the
use of a common whisk broom. Take
a pail of tepid water every evening ;
dip your broom in it and whisk it over
the plants tilleverything is moist. Your
plants will enjoy this bath and the in-
sects will not. Insects dislike nothing
so much as abundant dampness. The
most troublesome enemy of all—the red
spider—will soon leave for dryer quart-
ers, ‘‘ But,” says some neat housekeeper,
**T shall spoil my carpet if I keep up
such a daily showering.” So you will
if you do not protect it, but with a good
sized piece of oilcloth under your plant-
stand, as there always should be, you
may spatter away as much as you like.

There are a number of mechanical
contrivances for showering plants, but
all are more or less expensive. The
brass garden syringes are always good.
The ladies’ size, with three sizes in
sprinklers, is a very handy thing to
have. But its price ($5.00) would
keep a great many from purchasing.
The cheapest thing, and one of the best
for the purpose that we have seen, is
the Elastic Plant Sprinkler. It is a
rubber bottle, holding about a quart,
and having a finely perforated cap of
brass. Collapse and then throw this
bottle into a pail of water and it will
fill itself instantly. Then by squeezing
it in the hand a fine spray is thrown on
any part of the plant to which it is di-
rected. This simple contrivance we
can send by mail for $1.00 or a smaller
size for 60 cents.

o_O

The dwarf -flowering cannas make
very nice window plants. ‘The Star of
1891 and 1892 are excellent for this
purpose. ‘Try it.

FRINGE TAIL GOLDFISH.

Good specimens of this species of
Japanese Goldfish are rather rare.

The size of their fins and their friend-
ly, innocent disposition, makes them an
easy prey to their enemies.

Being highly appreciated by the no- .

bility of their native country, the

species is kept out of commerce, simi-
lar to fine breeds of dogs. These, too,
are bred for the exclusive delight or
use of one family or a select circle, and
cannot be bought for their weight in
gold. It is, therefore, only by chance
that one may run across a fair specimen
of the fringe tail ; as a rule they are
very hard to get.

78 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

Tho’ the morning be ever so bright,
' And cloudless the sky of the noon;
Prepare your lamp ere approach of night !
For the day will end all too soon.
-—From the German.

<a

Now is the proper season to clean, re-
arrange and restock your aquarium for the
winter. Do not overstock your aquarium.
A few choice specimens are much more at-
tractive and interesting, and require less
attention and care than twice their number
of ordinary everyday fish do.

ee

Feed your fishes regularly every day, but
don’t overfeed them. Remember you don’t
want to fatten your fish for the table ; all
you want, isto keep them in good condi-
tion. When feeding IXL. food, bear in
mind that this food is condensed, contain-
ing only select ingredients of a highly
nourishing character. A granule of the
size of a grain of wheat is sufficient fora
daily ration of a small fish; when the fish
is of medium size, two granules of IXL.
are plenty a day.

ny
When the water of your aquarium be-

comes cloudy or milky looking, this is a
sign that you feed too much.

Every two or three weeks you should re-
move the refuse matter that has accumu-
lated at the bottom of your aquarium by
means of a glass dipping tube or a small
rubber hose (siphon). The inside glass
sides of an aquarium should be carefully
wiped off at least once in a week.

———————

Dutch Hyacinth bulbs should be planted
during the month of October for house

culture. Buy single named varieties; of
these you will have the best results. Buy
the best that you can get; these give you
the most pleasure. The difference in price
is only a few cents.

—

Do not forget to plant half a dozen or
more of white Roman Hyacinths in a china
dish(blue decorated china looks pretty with
them), using a mixture of moss and sand
for soil. They should be planted in the
second half of September or first half of
October, and will be in bloom at Christmas
and New Year. Their culture is very sim-
ple. (See p. 12, vol. iv.)

During the winter months house plants
are best watered in the morning. Water
them only when they are dry; don’t let
them get too dry, but then water them well,
not merely wetting the surface of the soil,
with water of which the chill was taken off.
In winter no water should be allowed to
stand below the flower pots in the saucers.

Ficus repens is a very graceful trailing
plant, especially well adapted to be grown
on brackets. It should be kept rather
moist.

EEE

Turtles should not be kept in an aquari-
um. They will injure the fish and also the
plants.

i oornEtnnnnnEnnEIEIEEnIen igceeEEEEEEEEE

At this season of the year turtles, that
have been kept as pets, should be allowed
to bury themselves for the winter. For
that purpose fill an empty soap box half
full of moist garden soil, dead leaves, small
twigs and moss, all mixed up, and on top
of this set the turtles. These will soon
make themselves comfortable for the win-
ter. The box is then covered by nailing
slats over it, to keep cats and rats out, and
put in the cellar until spring. The turtles
will not eat during the winter.

The material in the box should be
watered now and then to prevent its be-
coming too dry.

THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896. He)

Runaway SeEaus.—It is reported that
nine seals escaped from the Glen Island
lake one night this summer. Among the
missing ones is Minnie, the performing
seal, that has entertained people all over
the world with her wonderful tricks. She is
regarded as one of the most.valuable seals in
existence, and the management of Glen
Island has offered $500 for her return alive.
There were twenty-nine seals in the lake at
the time the party escaped. The theory
is that Minnie succeeded in opening one of
the sluice gates by which the lake is sup-
plied with fresh water, and in this manner
provided a means of escape for herself and
the others.

A PuaGcur or Hyacintus.—The rapidly
increasing water hyacinth will soon become
a thing of serious menace to inland nayiga-
tion on the smaller streams of this State
unless some panacea is found for the evil.
A year or two ago the presence of these
plants in the two city navigation canals
brought forth considerable comment, and
at the time proved a source of serious an-
noyance and inconvenience to the vessels
which use the basins. Now no one seems
to know whence they came. The innumer-
able bayous of the southern part of the
State are gradually filling up, and in many
instances have become completely blocked
with the hyacinth. Even the giant Atcha-
falaya is filled with great floating masses of
the plants, and the streams south of the
city, extending almost to Grand Lake, are
dotted with islands formed of this beauti-
ful plant, with its delicate spikes of purple
flowers. It appears that many years ago,
according to several of the Atchafalaya
steamboat men, navigation was impeded in
the tributaries of that river and on Bayou
Teche, owing to the presence of the hy-
acinth, but after a few years the plant dis-
appeared altogether.—New Orleans Times-
Democrat.

In REwaTION TO THE Discussron ‘‘ Should
college professors take out patents,” which
has been going on in the Electrical Review,
the following anecdote of a prominent
scientist is told :

‘The man was the late Professor Agassiz.
He was at one time, just in the height of his
fame and reputation, approached by the
manager of a lecture bureau, who made
him an unusually liberal offer to deliver a
series of lectures. As the offer did not ap-
pear to arouse any enthusiasm in the
scientist, the manager expatiated at some
length on the financial advantages of the
scheme, and finally increased the offer.
Looking at him steadily Professor Agassiz
said: ‘ My friend, I haven’t time to make
money.’ ”

EVOLUTIONS OF THE LIND-
WURM.

je ecccepecie
Zeyidecccecece
Lorber

Le

a

It is claimed that 60,000 pounds of
frogs’ legs were sold in the New York
markets this year, the retail price rang-
ing from 35 cents to 65 cents a pound.

80 THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1896.

For the small sum of one dollar in ad-
vance, which pays for a year’s subscription
to THE Aquarium, you are entitled to ask
information on any point regarding the
aquarium or the window garden. We offer
no other premium to our subscribers than
that of putting over 25 years of practical ex-
perience in these branches at their disposal.
Ask as many questions as you please, but
please to enclose postage for reply. All
questions are answered by mail, and we
publish only such in these columns as are
of general interest.

<—

Dr. B.——B.—The disease is caused by a
microscopic parasite called [chthyophilurius,
which means fish destroyer. It is a parasite
similar to the one that causes the disease
known as itch. Its presence is first indi-
cated by small white spots that appear
here and there on the body of the fish and
also upon the fins. The parasite spreads
rapidly, working its way below the fish’s
skin, destroying this completely, the fins
soon appearing like bristle brushes. Soon
after this stage, a white fungus growth
makes its appearance upon the decaying
parts, which is the beginning of the end.

If a daily bath in strong salt-water, to
last a few minutes each time, is given the
affected fish when the disease is in its first
stage, the parasites will be destroyed.

In a communication to THE AQUARIUM
‘see p. 14, Vol. IV.) a lady states that she
has completely cured her goldfish, which
were badly affected with the disease in
question, by putting them on a diet of
young snails, keeping the fish in a properly
stocked tank by themselves. Many people
in certain districts of Europe eat snails,
claiming that they purify their system.
Snails may possess some medicinal prop-
erties. We wish that some of our readers,
should they have the misfortune of having
their fish affected with this disease, would
try the snail diet on them and report the

results to the Editor of THz Aquarium for
the benefit of other goldfish fanciers. Our
own fish are not troubled by this disease ;
it may be due to our [XL fish food, which
is medicinal to some extent and keeps them
in prime condition and therefore less liable
to any kind of disease, and much more able
to resist the contraction of disease than if
they were in poor condition.

Mrs. F. E. J.—When you speak of
‘* Japs,” we presume that you mean the
double-tailed Japanese goldfish. These, be-
ing a great deal slower in their movements,
are easier injured by their enemies than
the single tailed species.

Most species of sunfish are terribly savy-
age; they will pick out the eyes of other
fish. We have proof that a sunfish picked
out and ate both eyes of a medium sized
telescope fish. The telescope fish was after-
ward placed where it could be fed sepa-
rately and lived for years after that acci-
dent.

Regarding the fin trouble, this may be
caused by the sunfish also, or you may have
young eels in your pond; both will injure
fish by biting off their fins.

Mrs. H. V.—To make a success of any-
thing nowadays requires that one becomes
a specialist. You must find out what species
and what varieties of fish do best in your
locality under the conditions you have at
hand. These you must cultivate with the
utmost care, bringing the characteristics of
the variety, whatever these may be, to per-
fection. You should find out whether color
or shape is most in demand with the people
among whom you expect to find customers;
whether small, short, slender, plump,
round or flat shapes are preferred. Accord-
ing to these demands, you must breed your
fish, always keeping your eye on the pro-
duction of a novelty in the shape of an in-
teresting cross-breed.

In order to do this successfully, it is
necessary to keep a stock book wherein the
pedigrees of your fish are carefully re-
corded. Aim for quality not quantity, and
you are sure to succeed. We have never
had too many choice fish yet.

Subscriptions to THE AQUARIUM are now
due. Those who know themselves to be in
arrears are politely requested to remit.

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