144 



THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1894. 



thunder-storm. While we were in Germany 

 this summer a similar case happened. In 

 the morning following a heavy thunder- 

 storm all the fish of a mill pond were found 

 floating dead on toi) of the water ; the frogs, 

 insects and water fowl, however, were not 

 in the least injured. The fish were scooped 

 out and buried without having been ex- 

 amined by an expert. It would have been 

 interesting to know whether their swim- 

 ming bladders had been bursted by the 

 shock caused by the lightning or whether 

 they came to death by suftbcation. It 

 seems that the latter was the cause, because 

 all the air breathing inhabitants of the pond 

 survived. 



Mr. M., Tenn. — The sincerest form 



of flattery is imitation. Like many other 

 good things so did our I. X. L. fishfood n(jt 

 escape being imitated. The various ingre- 

 dients contained in it and the process of 

 compounding them is our secret. You admit 

 yourself that our name was not on the box ; 

 the fact that you bought it in New York does 

 not prove that it was our food. If you 

 can't get it of your dealer in your city, you 

 may order it direct of us. 



Mk. E., Iowa. — A small pond, say four 

 feet by eight feet, is sufficiently large to 

 begin goldfish raising. You can easily add 

 more ponds if you find sale for your 

 stock. A pond of such size can be sub- 

 divided, separating the young from their 

 parents. We hold a number of letters con- 

 taining pleasant things that were written 

 by parties who engaged in goldfish culture 

 solely guided by our book, "The Goldfish 

 and its Culture." They were successful 

 beyond expectations. 



Mr. S. — P. If your fish are very hungry 

 feed them, beside their daily ration of fish 

 food, twice a week with small pieces of 

 earth worm. Always take care to remove 

 all not consumed food immediately after 

 meal time. 



Ch. — P. A good paint to keep the bot. 

 torn of yoiir aquarium from rusting is our 

 aquarium cement thinned with boiled lin- 

 seed oil. The best plan after all, however,^ 

 is to cover the bottom with glass. 



W. The successful treatment of aquatic 

 plants and animals, in the confined space of 

 a glass aquarium, depends entirely upon 



the discovery that there exists in nature a 

 self-adjusting balance between the supply 

 of oxygen created in water with the qiian- 

 tity consumed by aquatic animals. 



In the coiirse of his essay, Ingenhauss 

 states that plants "immersed in water," 

 when exposed to the action of light, emit an 

 air which he announces as oxygen gas ; and 

 this idea is the keystone of the aquarium. 



G. To destroy worms in flower pots, 

 take a heaping teaspoonful of powered mus- 

 tard and let it steep for several hours in a 

 gallon of cold water. Pour enough of this 

 in each pot to wet the ball of earth thor- 

 oughly, and you will get rid of the worms 

 without injury to the plants. 



Miss H., Ala. — It is absolutely necessary 

 to have tadpoles in an aquarium if you 

 wish to be successful. If the water in your 

 tank turns green soon after being put in, 

 it indicates that it gets too much light. 

 You should shade it with a screen. When 

 filling an aquarium, a pinch of table salt 

 shoiild always be added to about every 

 three gallons of the water. 



Books I^eceiyed. 



The Lake and Brook Lamprey of New York, 

 especially those of Cayuga and Seneca 

 lakes, by Simon Gage, B. S. Keprinted 

 from the Wilder Quarter-Century Book. 

 Ithaca, N. Y. 



Fungi Affecting Fishes, by Samuel Lock- 

 wood, Ph.D. Freehold, N. J. 



Poissons et Crustaces des eaux doness et 

 saiimatrers de la Belgique et Poisson 

 Etrangere y introduits on dont Facclima- 

 tion serait desirable. Chromo-lithograph- 

 ies d'apprts les Aquarelles de M. Paul Del- 

 her. Bruxelles, 18)4. 



Missouri Botanical Garden, Fifth Annual 

 Eeport, 1894. St. Louis, Mo. 



Annual Report of the Board of Eegents of 

 the Smithsonian Institution to July, 18i)2. 



Bible, Science and Faith, by Eev. J. A. 

 Zahm, C. S. C, Professor of Phj'sics in the 

 University of Notre Dame, Ind., etc., 13 

 mo, cloth, $1.25, Murphy & Co., pub- 

 lishers, Baltimore, Md. 



