THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1S95. 



for the sake of watching the habits of 

 the different kinds of fish from time to 

 time brought to me, with the exception 

 of the gold-fish, which I have always 

 retained. 



Bass I find, for the most part, noc- 

 turnal in their habits, lying compara- 

 tively still the greater part of the day. 

 Like sun-fish, they are very tenacious 

 of the spot they select, which they oc- 

 casionally sail quietly round and round 

 as if guarding, and woe to the unwary 

 fish who may venture to settle down in 

 the quarters they have chosen. The 

 small brook sucker I have kept and 

 watched with a great deal of interest. 

 They are useful scavengers, cleaning 

 up by suction everything they come in 

 contact with at the bottom, rolling it 

 over their palate, swallowing whatever 

 suits their taste, and thus disposing of 

 a good deal of refuse matter which 

 otherwise gives considerable trouble in 

 getting rid of. These fish are, how- 

 ever, of what I might style too delicate 

 a constitution to be recommended as 

 permanent occupants. Accustomed as 

 they are to running water, and evi- 

 dently given to roaming in streams, 

 they seem to suffer when pent up in a 

 small space, and except for temporary 

 observation, I would not recommend 

 their introduction into any private 

 aquarium. Crayfish, in the same way, 

 are very unsatisfactory occupants, and 

 I never was able to keep one alive for 

 any length of time. 



One of the most interesting fish that 

 I ever had in my aquarium was a small 

 gar-pike, which was caught in a scoop 

 net at the foot of the locks here in 

 Ottawa and brought to me. This fish 

 lived for several weeks, and after his 

 death I placed him in spirits, where he 

 still exists. He was most unsociable, 

 turning his back upon all other fish 



that approached him, accepting the 

 apparent overtures of none. The only 

 surviving remnant of the fossil bony- 

 scaled Ganoids of the Devonian rocks 

 and belonging to the Mesozoic period, 

 his pedigree probably caused him to 

 look down on the finny tribe of the 

 present age as his inferiors. Hugh 

 Miller, speaking of the living represent- 

 atives of these fossil fish, says : " They 

 seem to have been spared amid the 

 wreck of genera and species to serve as 

 a key by which to unlock the marvels 

 of icthyology of those remote periods 

 of geological history appropriated to 

 the dynasty of fish." I am inclined to 

 think that my specimen scorned the 

 ordinary food of the other fish, and 

 died from inanition, as I never could 

 induce him, while I was watching, to 

 approach while they were feeding, and 

 if he did satisfy himself at all, it must 

 have been under the cover of darkness. 

 However, as he did not appear emacia- 

 ted at his death, he may have subsisted 

 on animalcule in the fresh water from 

 time to time supplied. The ordinary 

 pike and doree I never attempted to 

 keep, and it is almost needless for 

 me to say that brook trout will not 

 live in any ordinary aquarium. The 

 " Shiner " is also too delicate for gen- 

 eral keeping and requires highly aerated 

 water. 



I have had almost all kinds of small 

 fry, known as "minnows," in my aqua- 

 rium, consisting of young chub, dace 

 and minnows. They are very lively 

 and become in a short time accustomed 

 to their confined quarters, but from 

 their delicate formation I would never 

 recommend them as permanent inmates. 

 There is one exception, however ; that 

 is the barred, or black minnow, which 

 is very hardy and a very amusing fish 

 to watch. Sometimes motionless on 



