60 THE AQUAVIVARIUM. 



some of the numerous dealers who live DOW in all our 

 large towns. 



In making arrangements for a marine A qua viva- 

 rium, great care is necessary that the plants grow 

 well before the animals are introduced. Sea- weeds 

 are of three kinds, and are coloured olive, green, 

 and red ; of these the best are the green, the next 

 are the red. They should be introduced into the 

 water growing upon the stones or rocks to which 

 they are naturally attached. In the course of three 

 or four days they will get well established, then 

 the marine creatures may be introduced. And here 

 let me give one caution, beware of overstocking ; 

 overstocking is the ruin of nine out of ten of the 

 collections that are made ; it is the child making 

 itself sick with its otherwise wholesome cake ; it is 

 the miser forfeiting all the happiness of life for the 

 sake of gold ; it is the drunkard killing himself 

 with the beneficial juice of the grape. The apo- 

 stolic injunction of being temperate in all things is 

 especially necessary here. According to the size of 

 the tank or jar, first one actinia then another, then 

 a starfish, then a fish, may be admitted to the com- 

 munity ; but the multiplication of them must be 

 carefully watched, or any morning you may wake 

 up to find corruption and desolation have seized 

 your happy home. 



Another rule which I have found of use in marine 

 collections is, not to endeavour to keep creatures 

 whose residence is the deep sea. The creatures 

 that occur between high and low water-mark, or 

 those whose residence is the next zone of depth, 

 are best adapted for the Aquavivarium. In these 

 localities will be found zoophytes, actiniae, star- 

 fishes, mollusca, and even fishes sufficient to give 

 great variety to the sea-water vivary. Mr. Lloyd 

 has published a list of upwards of fifty species 



