The Scottish Naturalist. 357 



It is anticipated by the directors of the Company, that after 

 the aquarium is fairly started, there will be added a seal pond, 

 and probably a tank for porpoises, which are lung-breathing 

 animals. 



Mr. Lloyd of the Crystal Palace aquarium, is very averse 

 to introducing these animals. He asserts that in an aqua- 

 rium, "The animals must not be lung-breathers, that is to say, 

 they must be either such as the sea-anemones and corals, 

 and some others which have the function of respiration diffused 

 over their entire bodies ; or be such as the creatures above 

 them (up to and ending with fishes) which are provided with gills 

 during their whole period of existence. As lunged animals do 

 not require the purifying processes just alluded to, an aquarium 

 is not for their use, and they are therefore excluded from it ; 

 and this exclusion applies even to such aquatic animals as 

 water lizards, frogs, and salamanders, in their adult states." I 

 cannot entirely agree with Mr. Lloyd in this respect An 

 aquarium, in my opinion, should be an arrangement by which 

 the habits and instincts of marine and fresh water animals, 

 whether lung breathing or non-lung breathing, may be ob- 

 served. 



Mr. Lloyd asserts that porpoises, for example, cannot be kept 

 long in an aquarium, as their natural habits of diving (they are 

 essentially divers) for which the formation of their tail adapts 

 them, cannot be carried out in the narrow limits of a tank, and 

 they therefore soon die of consumption, the lungs giving way 

 through confinement, and probably the want of sufficient light. 



Suppose they do soon die, their place can be supplied again 

 and again, as objects of attraction, and they would undoubtedly 

 by their frequent introduction, keep up the interest in an 

 aquarium. As they breathe oxygen directly from the atmo- 

 spheric air, they cannot detract very much from the healthy 

 oxygenated condition of the water. 



At the Brighton aquarium the habits and instincts of. the 

 porpoise and seals are objects of special attraction to visitors. 

 The seals are kept in an open pond, and do not interfere with 

 the aquarium proper. 



In the Rothesay aquarium several tanks will be used in pro- 

 moting scientific research, and especially that of embryology. 

 The embryology of fish, and especially of the salmon, and 

 if possible, of the herring, will be made objects of special and 

 minute research. So that apart from the pecuniary aspect of 



