310 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Let US consider briefly the list of the more conspicuous fresh-water 

 fishes available for a large aquarium situated, for instance, on the 

 Great Lakes. Among those for which large tanks would be de- 

 sirable are muskellunge, pike, pickerel, pike perch ; lake, rainbow, 

 brook, and other trouts ; Atlantic salmon, lake sturgeon, -fresh-water 

 drum, buffalo fish, long and short nosed gars, burbot, bowfin, and two 

 species of black basses. Certain large fishes of the Mississippi are 

 obtainable also, such as shovel-nosecl sturgeon, giant gar, and catfish. 

 These are about all that can be considered large, numbering about 20 

 in all. All others, such as the various species of whitefishes, basses, 

 sunfishes, chubs, suckers, and others, are available, of course, but are 

 less striking, in the opinion of visitors, and must constitute the 

 exhibits of the smaller tanks. 



Unless the inland aquarium is to display a great variety of small 

 things, it would be unwise to construct more large fresh-water tanks 



!i ,. n:. — rrim.-^iju aufiudiie (Tealiu) 



than could be filled. It would also be unwise to construct as many 

 sea-water tanks as would be required by an aquarium situated on the 

 seacoast. While small aquatic forms of life are attractive to persons 

 interested in natural history, experience indicates that the average 

 aquarium visitor likes to see the big and striking things and pays 

 decidely less attention to those of small size. 



An exhibit of fresh-water fishes, however varied, is of rather 

 monotonous coloration. The brilliantly colored fishes from Florida 

 and Bermuda undoubtedly lead in attractiveness with visitors to the 

 New York Aquarium, while northern sea fishes are a close second. 

 An inland aquarium would find its marine tropical exhibits more 

 difficult to maintain than would one located on the seacoast where 

 transportation by steamer, in tanks constantly supplied with flowing 

 sea water, makes shipment safe and inexpensive as compared with 

 shipment by rail. 



