Mr. C. S. Harris on the Marine Vivarium. 131 



or Mr. Gosse, but scarcely with the same result ; unless^ as I may 

 infer from the following paragraph in Mr. Gosse^s last commu- 

 nication to the ' Annals ^ — " Some of the original animals still 

 remain in a healthy condition, such as Actinia and SerpulcBy 

 though others have died off in the course of the summer, and 

 have been replaced by more" — Mr. Harris changed the water, 

 Mr. Gosse the animals. 



My own experience is limited to this summer, and certainly 

 through the hot weather we could not keep animals alive, except 

 some common Actinia, which shut themselves up into balls : 

 unless the water was changed every few days, it became brown. 

 But since the weather has become colder, I have kept many 

 animals, including Aplysia, Actinia (several species), Paguri, 

 DorideSj MoUusca, and one large Starfish [Ur aster glacialis), for 

 four months, when an accident broke the case, of which we have 

 three mounted in the garden of the Athenaeum here : — the object 

 of which, in this approximity to the sea, is more to have a reser- 

 voir to observe oceanic products, than to prove the capability of 

 maintaining a perpetual and healthy equilibrium between the 

 animal and vegetable kingdoms ; though the latter will not be 

 neglected. 



The fact observed by Mr. Warington, of the power of the Lim- 

 nceus to move from one place to another by means of a mucous 

 suspending cord, I have observed also to be the case with Bulla 

 aperta, in the vivarium of my friend Mr. Smyth ; but the power 

 of secreting the mucus, which is exuded from the external sur- 

 face of the animal, is limited in its continuance ; to prove the 

 fact, we raised it three times to a glass shelf in the vivarium ; 

 the last time, not being able to secrete the ladder, it fell head 

 over heels, and therefore lost the power of choosing its place 

 below, as it could do when it came down by the cord. 

 I am. Gentlemen, yours obediently, 



C. Spence Bate, 

 Hon. Sec. to Plymouth Institution and Devon 

 and Cornwall Nat. Hist. Society. 



I 



17 Clarence Place, Penzance, Dec. 17, 1854. 

 My dear Sir, 



In answer to your request, I have only to say, I did not keep 

 a vivarium with any view to its being of service to the cause of 

 science ; not having, at the time I commenced some five years ago, 

 any idea that others were doing the same with a higher view than 

 mere amusement : this I now very much regret ; however, such 

 experience as I have had shall be detailed as briefly as possible, 

 and if of any service to you, I shall feel gratified by your using 



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