Baths, Foodholders, $c. 141 



of keeping exactly to the shape, but it should always 

 he able to be taken in and out for cleaning. A pile in 

 the middle, or a ring round the edge, is pretty, and 

 easily arranged. Another very good plan is to take a 

 small piece of zinc, about six inches in diameter, and 

 spreading its surface with the Eoman or Portland 

 cement used in aquariums, to place in the middle one 

 high jagged piece of rock. This piece being firmly 

 fixed as a centre, little pieces of spar and crystal and 

 stalactite may be piled up all round, and also fixed 

 together by the bed of cement heaped around the base. 

 Lava, polished fossils, and specimens of jasper and 

 malachite also look well, mixed up in the heap. 

 Then there may be some shells those beautifully 

 coloured harps, for instance, arid the great ones lined 

 with mother of pearl. The little creatures look so 

 very pretty, balancing themselves on the edge, dash- 

 ing down their heads, and fluttering their bright, 

 transparent wings in the water in an ecstasy of 

 delight ! 



5. The zinc foundation is of course to be hidden, 

 and all to lift out together; it can thus be easily 

 cleansed while wet, by water being allowed to pour 

 down upon it, and during this process the vase can be 

 also emptied. A flexible gutta percha tube attached 

 to a little plug-hole does best for this, or an aquarium 

 syringe will be found very useful, and the vase being 

 emptied, the rock work may be replaced, and the whole 



