OCCASIONAL DEATH — INSTRUMENTS. 28l 



then put the water, in an oj^en vessel^ in some shed or 

 out-house, where the fetor will he of no consequence. 

 Leave it there for the putrefactive process to run its 

 coui'se, which it will do in two or three weeks, if the 

 weather be warm. The water will then gradually 

 resume its original clearness and purity ; the weeds 

 may now be replaced in it ; it should be well agitated 

 frequently, and soon you may put in, cautiously at 

 first, your animals, and everything will be right 

 again. 



Occasional Death. — It will still be needful to 

 exercise a watchful supervision of the collection. It 

 must be remembered that both the animals and plants 

 are not in their natural circumstances, and that a 

 certain amount of violence is done to their habits. 

 Death, which spares them not at the bottom of the 

 sea, will visit them in the Aquarium ; and hence the 

 vessel should be occasionally looked over, searclied^ 

 as it were, to see if there be any of the specimens 

 dead. If the plants show an orange hue in patches, 

 they must be taken up, and the diseased parts cut 

 clean away. Dead animals must be at once removed, 

 or contamination will soon result. The eye will 

 soon recognise the individuals, and will miss the 

 famihar forms ; but you must not too hastily conclude 

 that an animal, which you have been accustomed to 

 see playing about, is dead, because you have not 

 observed it for some days, and cannot find it. Pro- 

 bably it has secreted itself in some corner or crevice, 

 whence it will emerge in a day or two. Still, such a 

 circimistance should excite your vigilance. 



Instruments. — For removing dead specimens or 



