2S2 POPULAR HISTORY OF THE AQUARIUM. 



long in a tank, and are uninteresting from their sluggish 

 habits, as they lie perfectly still on the bottom for hours 

 together, trusting for concealment to the similarity of their 

 russet colour to that of the sand." This may be true ; yet, 

 on our first visit to the Zoological Fish-house, we were 

 much interested with a number of specimens of the com- 

 mon Flounder. The water was rather dingy, and the whole 

 tank darkened by large pieces of over-hanging rock; at 

 first, no life was seen ; we took it for an empty vessel, and 

 were passing by, when a sudden slight commotion and a 

 flash of white arrested us, and from the dark bottom we 

 saw rising with a wavy motion one or two of the common 

 Flounders. In swimming they showed their white under- 

 sides ; and the undulating motion of their fringing fins, as 

 one wave followed another from the ])ectoral region to the 

 tail, the flashing golden hue of the odd, cunning-looking 

 eyes, and the gentle curves of the whole body, united in 

 an exhibition of unexpected grace and elegance. We were 

 particularly struck with the attitude which I have tried to 

 represent in tlie Plate. When one has risen, another, 

 roused by the commotion, begins to raise his head and look 

 about him in a very curious manner. Still keeping the 

 bulk of his body flat on the surface, but raising more and 



