6 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [March 



and a o-reat deal larger than most. The smallest minnow would 

 make him beat a hasty retreat. The old-fashioned fish globe is 

 the place for the golden carp. 



This concludes our remarks on the fishes of our aquarium, 

 which contains ten species. At the time we write there were 

 thirty-one specimens in the tank. 



We shall now pass on to another class : — Reptiles. First in 

 point of size conies our friend the Painted Turtle (Chrt/semi/s 

 plcta). He is about four inches long, and a very lively specimen, — 

 sporting now in the water, now on the rocks. In the water he is 

 at home, and like all the rest of our family, he loves good eating. 

 He devours his food voraciously, and swallows it by a series of 

 gulps. We kept him about six months. He died from disease, 

 as a post-mortem examination proved ; the viscera were overgrown 

 with a black fungus, and now the shell is all that remains ol the 

 poor turtle. 



The Water Newt (^Tnton millepunctatus) is a great acquisition 

 to the aquarium. At first we had a number of this species, but 

 on account of the depredations of the fish our stock got reduced 

 to two specimens. They liked the water, and would lie quietly on 

 the top of it until the fish made war on their toes — bitins; a toe ofi" 

 this one, and part of a leg ofi" another one, until only two remained 

 unscathed. They took to the rocks and the moss in self-defence, 

 taking an occasional dip, which they accomplish as quickly as 

 possible. They have cast their coats twice with us. Their 

 motions and positions in the water are very grotesque, yet very 

 o-raceful at times. No aquarium is complete without them. They 

 went the way of all newts, however, after a two years' sojourn 

 with us. We always have them replaced by fresh ones. 



The next in order is a veteran Frog {^Rana Tialecinay When 

 first introduced into our tank he preferred the water ; he would 

 lie carelessly floating on the surface until some of his finny alhes 

 would make a dash at his toes with open mouth, to his great 

 disgust and annoyance. He had the advantage of them, however, 

 and took up his residence on the moss in one of the cups of the 

 rock- work at the edge of the water. He sometimes took a bath, 

 which he only partially enjoyed, as he well remembered the 

 propensity of his friends the fish. He is an adept at fly-catching, 

 which he efi"ects by his tongue as he lies on the moss. 



Fancy his feelings as he lies under the influence of chloroform 

 on the stage of the microscope, while we examine the circulation 



