SEA- WATER AQUARIA. 121 



of about a fortnight ; and I noticed (and in those days of ignor- 

 ance wondered too) that the animals looked bad and sickly for a 

 time after each change — and this though the sea-water supplied 

 by the G.E.R. sea-water office is guaranteed to be taken a con- 

 siderable distance from land, and therefore is proportionately pure. 



Lloyd's suggestion tliat " where the sea-water is always clear 

 and equably dense, as for example . . in some of our English 

 Channel Islands, then the water could be drawn directly from the 

 sea into the aquarium,'' is about to be practically tested. A 

 public sea water aquarium, the result of private enterprise, is even 

 now being established (in connection with fresh-water aquarium 

 globes, a museum, library, and zoological laboratory) at Havre- 

 des-Pas, Jersey. The sea-water tanks are constructed to hold 

 from 4,500 to 5,000 gallons, and the water is to be pumped 

 directly from the sea into the tanks, passing through them, and 

 then running off waste. At least continual change of water will 

 be kept up steadily for about sixteen hours out of the twenty-four, 

 and it is thought that the animals, under the circumstances, will 

 not suffer from the water being stationary during the remaining eight 

 hours. This enterprise, in the light of Lloyd's experiences and 

 his well-known views, is of the greatest possible interest, and is 

 being anxiously watched. 



When first I started my aquarium, 1 was of course quite alive 

 to the need of having vegetation growing in the tank ; and, being 

 acquainted with the interesting and beautifully illustrated works of 

 Gosse, I was strongly impressed by the necessity of procuring 

 young or full-grown sea-weeds for my purpose. 



" Ulva lalissima,'" says Gosse in his " Aquarium," " is prob- 

 ably the best of all sea-weeds for our purpose, and is one of the 

 most easily procured on every shore." So the Sea Lettuce (or 

 U/va latissimd) 1 got, and placed two or three pieces in my tank. 

 The result was certainly striking, but not ^quite of the character 

 that was anticipated and hoped for. The water became turbid, 

 and covered with a soapy-looking scum ; two or three of the 

 animals died, and it was only with much difficulty that any of the 

 collection in the tank were saved. 



Just about this time I met with a number of articles written 

 by A. W. Lloyd, and in one of them I found the following 



