PUBLIC AQUARIA 301 



ated. Fortunately politics plays little part in the appointment of per- 

 sonnel in these institutions. They are for the most part operated by 

 men who have a passion for this particular work. 



American cities having public aquaria are Boston, Chicago (2), 

 Detroit, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Wash- 

 ington. In other countries they are maintained at Amsterdam, Hol- 

 land; Antwerp, Belgium; Berlin, Germany; Blackpool, England; Frank- 

 furt, Germany; Leipzig, Germany; Honolulu, Hawaii; Lisbon, Portugal; 

 London, England; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2); Monaco; Sidney, Aus- 

 tralia; Naples, Italy; Paris, France and Plymouth, England. 



Of equal importance with the care of water in large aquaria (par- 

 ticularly marine) is the subject of feeding. Virtually all marine fishes 

 are carnivorous, and while the flesh of warm-blooded animals may be 

 used to some extent, it is not natural, so it becomes necessary to secure 

 a liberal supply of clams, crabs, shrimp, small fish, worms, etc. While 

 this involves a great deal of effort, there is no doubt that fishes respond 

 very perceptibly to the benefits of natural food. 



It will be recalled that when Benjamin Franklin was a young man 

 he ate no meat, endeavoring to follow the commandment "Thou shalt 

 not kill," but when he became acquainted with the universal cannibalism 

 of the sea he decided it would be wise to follow nature's plan of "big 

 fish eat little fish," and thenceforth gave up vegetarianism. 



In most cities with public aquaria it is a regular practice with some 

 schools to take classes of students to observe the marvels of fish life. 



Indeed the public aquarium is a place in which we all can ponder. 

 The impossible little Box Fish, unbelievably propelled by tiny trans- 

 parent fins ; fantastic Sea-ravens with beady eyes and enormous mouths 

 ready to swallow victims as large as themselves ; Angel Fish whose colors 

 challenge our best analines; Gars perfectly poised to pounce on their 

 little victims; fish with stony, sinister little blue eyes; Squirrel Fish 

 with large, limpid eyes; fish with short, powerful jaws for crushing 

 shells; File Fish, as flat as a pancake, a mere shrunken skeleton cov- 

 ered with skin; Flounders concealed in the sand (only their protruding 

 eyes showing) awaiting some unsuspecting victim ; droll little Sea-horses 

 and fish that attach themselves to other fish for a free ride. These and 

 hundreds of other wonder-provoking specimens freshly awaken us to the 

 existence of lives so vastly different from our own, and we ponder on 

 how they fit into the Pattern of Things, and possibly how we would 

 appear to them, were the conditions reversed! 



