AQUARIUM. 



19 



much easier if he can show his fair 

 critics an object that will be an orna- 



A CORNER POST OF THE WOODEN 

 AQUARIUM 



ment instead of an unsightly iron- 

 framed affair painted any of the various 

 lines of the rainbow and supported on 

 a sewing stand or on an angular frame 

 of gas-pipe ; either sufficient for a green 

 house but hardly conformable with 

 oil painting's, ( )riental rugs and a 

 piano. 



Just as an appropriate frame en- 

 hances the beauty of a picture so the 

 character of an aquarium affects the 

 beauty of its contents. We sometimes 

 see aquaria that are beautiful in re- 

 gard to their contained plant and ani- 

 mal life, but do not display them to 

 advantage because of a shabby metal 

 frame and inappropriate stand. 



There are exceptions even in metal- 



framed aquaria ; nickel and brass 

 frames are very neat and handsome, 

 and tables make satisfactory supports. 

 The writer has one, recently seen, 

 in mind, which is constructed of four 

 copper posts bolted to a slate base 

 with the top and bottom rails elimi- 

 nated, and which has an exceedingly 

 hands* >me appearance. 



The cost of constructing wooden- 

 framed aquaria, with the exception of 

 the time consumed, is no greater than 

 the cost of constructing the iron-fram- 

 ed type ; nor is its construction more 

 difficult. 



Any one who is sufficient mechanic 

 to make the exact measurements and 

 the neat corner miters required in a 

 metal frame, will find the construction 

 of a wooden frame no more difficult. 

 Any of the cabinet woods may be uti- 

 lized, although owing to their hard- 

 ness quartered-oak and Cuban mahog- 

 any are preferable. In the method of 

 construction used by the writer, the 



THE WOODEN FRAMED AQUARIUM 

 IN USE 



aquarium stands upon its own base, 

 made in one piece. The corner posts 



