THE FRESH-WATER AQUARIUM. 23 
gudgeon, and chub—and-all went on as well as if the 
tank had stood a month to strengthen, the water being 
from the first moment as brilliant as any of the Castalian 
springs that flow through classic verses. The lovely green 
of the starwort, spread over the whole of the surface of the 
water, has a fairy-like effect. It is necessary to get a 
good supply of starwort from a brook, throw it into a large 
vessel of clear water, pick off the green heads, with four 
or six inches of stem only to each, then wash all these 
picked portions till they are bright and clean, and throw 
the whole into the tank to take its chance. You must be 
lavish as to quantity. It soon spreads over the surface, 
and arranges itself most beautifully, forming a rich green 
ceiling, giving the verdant shadow which a new tank wants; 
it grows freely, lasts for months, continually throwing out 
new roots and shoots from the joints, and creates abund- 
ance of oxygen, from the first hour of its being thrown in. 
Whenever it seems desirable it can be got rid of by simply 
lifting it out. My own are the only tanks I have seen 
stocked in this way. 
Selection of Plants——There is scarcely any aquatic 
plant but may be grown in an aquarium, and unless some 
attention is given to the botanical department, only half 
the pleasure and instruction it is capable of affording is 
attained. I cannot agree with Mr. Gosse, that the vege- 
tation of a tank has so strictly a secondary place—“ pre- 
served because they cannot be dispensed with,”’—for in 
| either a marine or fresh-water vessel the vegetation is a 
special source of beauty and interest, and fairly divides 
attention with the animals. Supposing it were impossible 
