THE 



CANADIAN NATURALIST 



AND 



(^uavtinly ioutunl tut Mtmt. 



AQUARIA STUDIES. 



Part I. 



By A. S. EiTCHiE. 



The rage for aquaria has somewhat subsided in the fashionable 

 world; still fashion reigns to a certain extent, and exerts an 

 influence even in the zoological world. There has been a furore 

 for sponges such as the beautiful Venus' Flower Basket (Enphc- 

 tella spedosct), from the Philippines, for novelties in shells or in 

 insects, and at fashionable prices. 



AH are not votaries of fashion, — though, in the minds of some, 

 the fickle goddess may fm some latent spark of " Nature's fire " 

 into a flame. While aquaria, in countless numbers, are being 

 sacrificed by the auctioneer, the student of nature watches with 

 intense interest the various productions of animal and vegetable 

 life in his minature fish-pond, and sees, with admiration, their 

 perfect adaptation to their place in the economy of nature. 



A well-known naturalist writes : " The graceful fish, the brilliant 

 reptiles, the shining insects, that people this rare world, whilom 

 hermetically sealed up from our yearning view, are now displayed 

 in the aquarium, — sporting, feeding, slumbering — pursued and 

 pursuing, — leaping into life, and falling into dissolution, — each 

 in its natural haunts, and yet ' all at home in these crystal 

 palaces.' '' 



The fresh water aquarium with us, constructed and stocked on 

 scientific principles, should represent faithfully a Canadian pond 



Vol. V. A :so. 1. 



