84 



THE AQUAEIUM, JANUARY, 1897. 



live fish from every section of this con- 

 tinent in an elaborate aquarium, which 

 was to be built by the Exposition Com- 

 mission at Central Park, where the 

 great "Fair" was expected to be lo- 

 cated. After the close of the fair, this 

 aquarium was to remain as a memorial 

 and was to be run on city or State ex- 

 pense for the benefit of the public. 



As every one knows, the big fair 

 was held in Chicago, and the oppor- 

 tunity of getting a fine aquarium for 

 New York comparatively easy, was 

 lost. Our friend of the Fish Commis- 

 ion now had a bill drawn up, providing 

 for a public aquarium in the city of 

 New Y^'ork, and had it presented before 

 the Legislature. 



Shortly after this the new Governor 

 came into office, and he appointed a 

 new Board of Fish Commissioners. 

 The Legislature passed the aquarium 

 bill, making an appropriation to the 

 amount of $160,000 to begin the work. 

 But instead of placing it under the 

 control of the Fish Commission it was 

 put in charge of the Board of Public 

 Parks. 



This Board, not favoring the idea of 

 having the aquarium in Central Park, 

 located it in the old Castle Garden, 

 which, being part of Battery Park, was 

 under their control. This ancient 

 structure was not used for anything at 

 the time, the emigrant depot having 

 been transferred to Ellis Island. 



Here the plans of inexperienced 

 hands were carried out, and when the 

 aquarium was to be opened, about two 

 years ago, it was found that it had been 

 built solely on theory and that a big 

 part had to be reconstructed and 

 changed in order to fit it for a practical 

 purpose. This accounts for the large sum 

 of money spent in its construction and 

 the space of time used until completed. 



The new Superintendent, under 

 whose direction the aquarium was 

 changed to its present state, will, in 

 time, bring this institution to a re- 

 spected standing, if not in line with 

 the best aquariums in Europe. 



FRESH WATER FISH IN SALT 

 WATER. 



It is well known that fresh water fish 

 cannot live in salt water, and vice versa, 

 and it has been supposed that the 

 reason existed in some poisonous effect 

 which the inappropriate water exerted. 

 M. Paul Bert has investigated this 

 subject, and his conclusion is that the 

 death of the creature is not due to any 

 toxic action, but is simply a phenome- 

 non of osmosis or transmission of fluids 

 through the membranes. In order to 

 prove this it is only necessary to weigh 

 the animal before and after the experi- 

 ment. A frog, for example, plunged 

 into sea water loses one third of its 

 weight. If only the foot of the frog be 

 introduced the blood globules can be 

 seen to leave the vessels and distribute 

 themselves under the skin. If an ani- 

 mal be taken, the skin of which is not 

 entirely osmotic, the same phenomena 

 occurs in the bronchial system. 



There are certain fish, however, which 

 exist sometimes in salt, sometimes in 

 fresh water, changing their habitation 

 in different periods of life or of the 

 year. It, therefore, in view of the 

 above, becomes interesting to see how 

 M. Bert applies his discovery to such 

 apparent exceptions to the general rule. 

 A fresh water salmon, for instance, 

 plunged abruptly in sea water, resists 

 the effects longer than other fresh water 

 fishes ; but he dies within five or six 

 hours. This shows, according to M. 

 Bert, that the fish never proceed sud- 

 denly from fresh to salt water, but en- 



