THE AQUARIUM, OCTOBER, 1895. 



The Rquhrium, 



A QUARTERLY MAGAZINK 



$1.00 a Year. Single Copies, 25 cts. Each. 



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



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MARINE LABORATORIES. 



The facilities for biological work have 

 been materially increased during the 

 past few years. The first laboratory 

 for marine biology in this country was, 

 if we remember right, started by the 

 late Professor Spencer F. Baird, Secre- 

 tary of the Smithsonian Institution and 

 U. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fish- 

 eries, when he erected a station for the 

 study and propagation of sea fish at 

 Wood's Holl, Mass. 



This station is very favorably located? 

 right ou the seashore, and of easy 

 access by either railroad or steamer. 

 The station is quite an extensive one. 

 Including the office building, hatchery, 

 boiler house, wharves, boats and appa- 

 ratus for various purposes, the visitor 

 has opportunity to study a good collec- 

 tion of fish, Crustacea and other forms 

 of marine life peculiar to the vicinity 

 of the station, which are preserved in 

 alcohol and displayed in museum jars. 



Besides these alcoholic specimens, we 

 find others that are preserved in a dried 

 form, such as sponges, corals and crabs; 

 also, the various sea birds are repre- 

 sented by well prepared skins. In 

 about a dozen of good sized aquariums, 

 which are supplied with running sea 

 water, pumped from the clear bay im- 

 mediately outside of the building, live 

 specimens are kept for observation and 

 study. 



This collection was a varied and very 

 interesting one, consisting of young 



sharks, skates, a sucking fish (striped 

 remora), flounders, biowfish, etc.; many 

 species of crab, starfish, sea urchins, 

 sea cucumbers, anemones, jellyfish, etc. 

 The interesting remora had sucked its 

 sucking disk against the side of the 

 glass, where it could be nicely exam- 

 ined. This disk is located on top of 

 the fish's head. It is oval in shape, 

 resembling a shield, but perfectly flat, 

 and about one-third the size of the 

 fish ; white in color, and it consists of 

 rows of tooth-like projections. The fish 

 measures about twenty inches in length. 

 By means of this organ the fish at- 

 taches itself to moving or floating ob- 

 jects in the water; for instance, large 

 sharks, turtles, and quite frequently to 

 ships, and travels along without an ef- 

 fort. Its hold is very firm. This 

 peculiarity is taken advantage of by 

 the native turtle hunters of South 

 America. They fasten a line to the 

 fish, and when in sight cf a turtle the 

 fish is thrown overboard. As a rule 

 the remora starts straightways for the 

 turtle, and attaches itself to its plast- 

 ron (lower plate.) The turtle is now a 

 prisoner, the fish holding on firmly, 

 both are pulled to the boat. 



In another of the larger tanks we 

 noticed in company of a splendid speci- 

 men of a squid, a very handsome 

 threadfish. This fish is a native of the 

 tropical seas; it had been carried away 

 from home by the current, and was 

 caught in the gulf stream not far from 

 the station. The size of its body is 

 that of a man's hand ; it is very much 

 compressed, like that of the crappy, 

 and of a dull blueish-lead color. The 

 dorsal and anal fins are very large, each 

 ray running about six to eight inches 

 beyond the fins proper, giving them the 

 appearance as if threads of fine sea- 

 weed were streaming from them. The 



