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THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1895. 



A Quarterly Magazine. 



50 cts. a Year. Single Copies, 25 cts. Each. 

 Sample Copies Free. 



Advertising Rates on Application. 



HUGO MULERTT, F. I. R. S. A., 



Editor and Publisher, 



173 Nostrand Av., Brooklyn, N. Y. 



THE NEW YORK AQUARIUM. 



Although the New York daily and 

 Sunday press were, for the last two years, 

 full of praises for this new institution, 

 built by the city of New York, while it 

 was yet in process of construction, 

 giving startling accounts of its superi- 

 ority over any public aquarium hereto- 

 fore built in the world (which articles 

 were promptly reprinted by the country 

 press, illustrations and all), The 

 Aquarium (your Editor) had absolutely 

 nothing to say regarding the work. We 

 even refused to write it up for a mag- 

 azine published in New York, as we 

 could say nothing in its favor and did 

 not care to criticise an unfinished job. 

 The contracts had been given out ; so 

 what good could have been expected 

 from calling attention to the defects in 

 its construction ? When the proper 

 time had come, however, when our 

 opinion was asked by the proper par- 

 ties, we did not hesitate to give it 

 frankly : '*' The plant will not work I " 

 (Compare last issue of The Aquar- 

 ium.) 



It startled the New Yorkers when 

 they read it the following morning. 

 The result is a good one. The ball 

 was started to rolling ; the scientific 

 experts "found" in a similar sense, 

 and the result was the resignation of 

 the superintendent who had planned it 

 and under whose direction it was built. 

 Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, who is now 



in charge as the new superintendent, 

 has been for many years connected 

 with the U. S. Fish Commission and 

 the Smithsonian Institution. He has 

 considerable practical experience, and 

 as an ichthyologist his reputation is a 

 very flattering one. 



As the aquarium had been constructed 

 on wrong principles from the very start, 

 several absolutely necessary changes are 

 now being made. The entire lower row 

 of tanks will be changed, in sizes as 

 well as in their shapes ; the roof will be 

 raised some nine feet, to secure better 

 circulation of air for the upper tanks, 

 while two large storage tanks will be 

 constructed for " resting " the water. 

 This work will, in our opinion, take up 

 the balance of this year, and we may not 

 be able to see the New York Aquarium 

 opened much before Christmas. 



We shall keep our readers informed 

 regarding the progress made, and when 

 once completed we will have, regularly, 

 illustrated articles treating of whatever 

 may be of especial interest. 



EXHIBITION AQUARIUMS. 



In the last issue of The Aquarium 

 we spoke of shapes of aquariums prin- 

 cipally intended for private use. In 

 the following article we will show by 

 examples how single tanks, or a series 

 of them, are best arranged for public 

 expositions. 



From the twin aquarium for a school 

 corridor, as described in the article re- 

 ferred to above, to the exposition aquar- 

 ium, is but one step. The two main 

 points to be kept in view when con- 

 structing a series of tanks for public 

 use, aside from the proper location of 

 them, of course, are : (1st) to secure 

 proper protection to the collection 

 against injury by spectators, caused 



