THE AQUARIUM, JANUARY, 189T, 



95 



DRYING PLANTS. 



Most people have had to regret that spec- 

 imens of plants and flowers which they find 

 in the woods and fields, and carry home to 

 preserve, in most cases lose their color and 

 beauty in the process. 



A Vienna journal says: "We are in- 

 formed that this inconvenience may be 

 overcome by dipping the plants in a warm 

 mixture of one part hydrochloric acid and 

 six hundred parts alcohol, shaking them to 

 get rid of superfluous fluid, and then lay- 

 ing them in warm blotting paper, which 

 ought to be changed at least once dailj^ 

 By this means the plants will not only dry 

 quicklj^, but will also retain their natural 



color." 



• ■» 



One of Our Customers who was trav- 

 eling in Europe last summer, brought with 

 him on his return some rare treasures for 

 his aquarium. We supplied the tanks in 

 which they are now kept, and the aquatic 

 plants for these, in which lines, he says, 

 we excel aiay firm in Europe. 



The collection which he brought along 

 consists of : Climbing Perch {Anabas scan- 

 dens), Gouramis, a new species of Paradise 

 fish, all native of East India ; Siamese 

 Fighting fish, beautiful specimens of Chi- 

 nese Fringetail Telescope goldfish, several 

 species of Japanese and German goldfish, 

 Brazilian Zebrafish, Mailed and Strijied 

 Catfishes from South America. 



As will be noticed, nearly all are exotic 

 fish, for which this gentleman expended 

 nearly two thousand dollars. 



To Produce Names on Shells. — The 

 Chinese force the pearl mussels (Anodonta 

 plicata) of their rivers to produce pearls to 

 order (See article Pearl Culture in last is- 

 sue of the Aquarium). They also intro- 

 duce small flat figures, representing Bud- 

 dha, between the shells of these mollusks 

 which these animals press against the in- 

 side walls of their shells where they be- 



come soon coated with pearl. Shells con- 

 taining such pictures of Buddha are highly 

 prized among the Chinese. 



The Superintendent of the Hamburg 

 (Germany) Aquarium, having heard of 

 this fact, has experimented in this direc- 

 tion with the tritou shell {Triton nodiferus) 

 of the Mediterranean Sea. He cut out of 

 thinly rolled white metal (tinfoil) names 

 and monograms, and pasted these with wax 

 upon the inside of the shell upon a spot 

 which had been wiped dry for the purpose, 

 and as deep inside as the presence of the 

 animal would admit. When after several 

 months these animals had died, the letter- 

 ing was found completelj- covered wdth 

 shell material standing out quite distinctly 

 in relief upon the same spot upon which it 

 had been pasted. 



Honolulu, the Capital of the Sandwich 

 Islands, is to have an aquarium. Mr. C. 

 R. Bishop of that city has donated to the 

 managers of the Honolulu Museum, of 

 which he is also the founder, the sum of 

 three-quarters of a million dollars (#750,- 

 000) for the construction of a public aqua- 

 rium, to which a biological marine station 

 shall be attached. Prof. Brigham, who has 

 made a study of the aquariums in Europe, 

 is now making the plans for same. Natu- 

 ralists and instructors will be induced to 

 come there, and biological students are 

 expected from America and Europe. 



A SEED MERCHANT OF DaNZIG, GeRMANY, 



had been charged with selling unreliable, 

 stale seeds. He was promptly arrested. 

 He must have felt guilty, and fearing the 

 consequences while awaiting his trial, he 

 committed suicide in his cell by hanging. 



The man owning the greatest number of 

 dogs in the world is apparently Mr. Gus- 

 tav Ivanovitch, a 'Russian cattle king.'' 

 To herd his one million and a half of sheep 

 he requires the services of thirty-five thou- 

 sand shepherd dogs. 



Little Johnny— Papa, why are fish 

 dumb? 



Papa — Foolish boy; can you speak when 

 under water. 



