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DtVTSIC-N 0? FISHES 

 U. S. HknoiiAh AlUSEUM 



Vol. III. 



APRIL, 1895. 



Copyright 1895. All, Riuhts Reserved. 



No. 35. 



THE NEW YORK AQUARIUM. 



For over two years work has been 

 going on to transform Castle Garden 

 into a public aquarium. This famous 

 old place was for years used as the land- 

 ing depot for emigrants entering the 

 port of New York. 



On February IGth an appointed com- 

 mittee of three scientists and several 

 invited experts inspected the aquarium, 

 the mechanical part of which is about 

 finished. The occasion for this inspec- 

 tion was the retiring of the old Park 

 Board. We were among the invited. 

 The exterior of the old "Castle" has 

 been, save some necessary repairs and 

 painting, left as it was in olden times. 

 The old heavy oaken door, studded 

 with heavy iron rivets, has also under- 

 gone some repairs, and is put into use 

 again. Entering through this, we pass 

 by what used to be the guard-rooms, and 

 arrive in a large open circular space 

 that reminds us of a circus. In the 

 centre of this, sunk a couple of feet 

 deep and raised as many above the 

 ground, is a large circular basin ; this 

 is surrounded by six kidney-shaped 

 smaller ones. These basins will serve to 

 harbor aquatic reptiles and mammals. 

 They are built of brick and cement, 



have sandstone coping and are faced 

 inside with white glazed tiles, and out- 

 side with tiles Venetian red in color. 

 The entire floor of the rotunda is cov- 

 ered with tile-mosaics of a cheerful pat- 

 tern. Around these basins, on the floor, 

 and also about half way between the 

 roof and the floor, are a number of 

 steam heaters ; those on the floor are 

 appropriately covered with perforated 

 brass screens of antique pattern. The 

 woodwork that supports the roof, and 

 that of the gallery, which encircles the 

 entire space at a height of about twelve 

 feet, is painted pea-green. The light 

 for the entire building, as well as for 

 the tanks, enters through a number of 

 windows in the roof. 



Directly opposite of the entrance is 

 the pump-room, which contains the 

 engine and pumps that supply the 

 water for the tanks and basins. This 

 room divides the circle in two sections, 

 of which the one to our left will be the 

 marine, while that to our right is set 

 aside for the fresh water section. Each 

 of these sections have two rows of tanks, 

 one on the main floor and the other on 

 the gallery— those on the main floor, 

 fifty-six in number, being the largest. 

 The glass of these measure in some 



