256 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHEEIES 



The exhibits of a public aquarium are popularly supposed to con- 

 sist chiefly of fishes, aquatic reptiles, and some of the more con- 

 spicuous invertebrates, but this conception is a narrow one. The 

 name " aquarium " admits of a much more comprehensive inter- 

 pretation. The collections of an ideally equipped establishment for 

 the exhibition of living aquatic forms might properly include repre- 

 sentatives of the entire aquatic fauna and flora, so far at least as 

 the forms selected are capable of living in shallow water. No aqua- 

 rium has yet attempted a comprehensive display of fresh-water plants 

 in properly lighted, glass-fronted tanks. The character and the 

 beauty of aquatic plants can not be seen to full advantage in the 

 pools of a botanic garden, where observation is limited very largel}'' 

 to what can be seen at the surface of the water. Marine plants also 

 offer an attractive field for development by^the aquarium exhibitor. 

 Interesting and beautiful seaweeds are available on seacoasts nearly 

 everywhere. They are easy to procure and transport and if pro- 

 vided with conditions approximating those of their natural habitat 

 may be kept for considerable periods. 



Seaweeds in tanks need a strong flow of water, and a few tanks 

 might be equipped with automatic emptying devices to permit daily 

 exposure of the plants to the air, thus providing the conditions 

 created by the rise and fall of tides. Whether difficult to maintain 

 or not, seaweed exhibits are renewed easily and cheaply during the 

 summer months. Fresh-water plants are equally attractive but die in 

 winter when the water becomes cold. This difficulty can be obviated 

 by warming the water sufficiently to keep the plants growing. 



Aquatic insects, like the smaller fresh-water invertebrates, are 

 best adapted to small table aquaria, but their availability has been 

 taken advantage of little. On the whole, it is safe to say that the 

 completely equipped public a(|uariam has not yet been planned. 



THE BUILDING 



While the building itself comes first in the work of actual con- 

 struction, it should come last in the planning of the aquarium. The 

 character of the exhibits and the number and size of tanks required 

 for them having been determined, the complicated mechanical 

 equipment necessary for the control of the water should be con- 

 sidered in detail by an engineer. These are the vital matters. Until 

 they have been decided it would be unwise to design the building. 

 The aquarium manager called upon to adapt his. equipment and 

 exhibits to a building erected chiefly for architectural effect is at 

 a disadvantage from which full recovery may never be possible. 



A beautiful building can be designed as readily after the problems 

 of equipment have been solved. In a case like this the building is 

 merely the shell of the complicated mechanism that makes the 

 aquarium possible. Architectural l)eauty, while always desirable, 

 has little to do with the successful operation of such an institution. 

 The success of an aquarium depends solely upon the attractiveness of 

 its living exhibits, and these, in turn, are wholly dependent upon 

 facilities for maintaining them in good condition from day to 

 day. The New York Aquarium has had 50,000|000 visitors during 



