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sterlets of Russia, the mud-fish of Gambia, the boar-fish, and the 

 axolotls, which last named had twice spawned in the Aquarium. 

 Very valuable additions to our knowledge of these rare, as well as 

 of more common fish, had been made, which future wi-iters on fish 

 matters would do well to note, instead of copying the errors of their 

 predecessors. 



Among other interesting experiments that had been tried in 

 the Brighton Aquarium, he might mention those on the hearing of 

 the porpoise in water, while the taming of fish proved that so far 

 from their shunning man, they might be taught to approach close 

 to him, some being even so tame as to take their food direct from 

 his hand. Then there was the fact, which anyone, who felt inclined 

 to watch the behaviour of the flat fishes, like the sole and plaice, 

 would soon observe — the rapidity with which they changed colour, 

 and how closely they assimilated in colour to the nature of the 

 bottom of the tanks on which they rested ; this was so rapid and so 

 imitative that they might with justice be called the chameleons of 

 the deep. 



As many were aware, he mentioned, at their last soiree but one, 

 that the Brighton Aquarium had given a sponge new to science ; it 

 had also been proved, which was unknown before, that some 

 sponges were annual in their growth, and died at the end of the 

 year. 



He considered, had the Brighton Aquarium done nothing else 

 for science, it had set an example which every museum throughout 

 the kingdom, not excepting the Brighton Museum, would do well to 

 follow, by fitting up mici'oscopes under which the minute anatomy of 

 marine life had been made familiar to the public, while even the 

 student of natural history had learnt much through the admirable 

 slides and preparations of Mr. H. Lee. He hoped the day was not far 

 distant when a part of the equipment and furniture of every 

 museum would be the microscope, under which slides, illustrating 

 the di&'erent departments of geology and natural history, would be 

 shown to the public, who would by this means be educated to an 

 appreciation of higher and better things. This naturally led to a 

 point to which the Directors had, he thought, hardly given 

 suSicient attention — the formation of a marine museum. It was 

 true they had very wisely commenced the nucleus with the 



