70 THE MARINE AQUARIUM. 
guinea, with, perhaps, some of the Polysiphonie will be 
considered valuable prizes, but they will not succeed in any 
but experienced hands, for whom this work is not written. 
Dasya, Chylocladia, Nitophyllum, Griffithsia, Rhody- 
menia, and Ptilota will all contribute specimens as time 
goes on, and opportunity affords for obtaining them. But 
not one of these lovely weeds of the red class are fit for 
ordinary aquarian tactics, they are the “ florists’ fiowers”” 
of the aquarian world, and refuse to be domesticated by any 
but adepts. The exquisitely delicate Griffithsia setacea 
is perhaps the only one of the above that may be safely 
used in a well-seasoned tank of artificial water; the other 
genera seem to be still more delicately constituted and to 
require their own native element ina state of great purity. 
Once more I urge the beginner to be content with 
Ulva and Enteromorpha at starting, with half-a-dozen 
plants of each of these, a large and pleasing variety of 
animal life may be preserved, and in the case of disaster 
of any kind, these are the most readily restored to health 
by a little timely and judicious management. 
All coarse and dark coloured weeds, however tempting 
at first sight, are to be avoided. The sprawling tangles 
that one steps over in traversing the boulders and the 
slimy masses of sea-weed, everywhere cast upon the coast, 
are quite unfit, however fine the specimens, or strong the 
desire to possess them. Neither must much value be 
attached to any weed cast up by the surge. The only 
trustworthy specimens are those chipped from the rock 
in situ and brought away without being detached from 
their natural basis. 
