363 THE AQUARIUM. 



of the sons and daughters of men. The Purple Laver is a splendid 

 weed of a rich purple colour, and not looking much unlike the 

 acanthus in form, which gives so rich a finish to architectural 

 decoration. Of course you all know the classical story of the 

 origin of the acanthus ; if you don't, inquire it is too long to bs 

 told here. The Common Green Laver, also known by the name 

 of the Sea Lettuce, and about as common as the dandelion in our 

 way-side walks, may be picked up anywhere on the stones and 

 rocks which have been covered by the sea only for a few hours 

 every day. It is a beautiful, delicate, green-coloured plant, and 

 as full of tuckers and puckers as our dear old grandmother's night- 

 caps used to be after Betty had crimped them over the Italian- 

 iron. Once seen, and you would know it again by the feel only, 

 even in the dark. There is no better plant in the whole depths of 

 the unbounded sea, we believe, for a marine aquarium than this it 

 throws off bubbles of oxygen by thousands : so much so at time?, 

 that the little globules fairly lift it to the top of the water, just as 

 you might be carried up in a balloon, which <c all the king's horses 

 and all the king's men" could not keep down if they tried their hearts 

 out, when once it had made up its mind to go up with you. This 

 pretty plant throws out so much oxygen, that we shouldn't wonder 

 if it tried, at its throwing all the fish out of the tank bang through 

 the ceiling, slap through the roof, carrying off tiles and everything, 

 and sending them near enough the sun to be fried nice and brown 

 and ready to eat when they come down again. Now, if that isn't a 

 "whopping" fib, tell a bigger if you can, and if the wager was a 

 turnip to a leg of mutton, we should win. Then there is the common 

 Sea Grass, which is almost as plentiful as the grass in our fields. 

 You will hardly find a little pool which the sea has left but what is 

 fringed with it. Sometimes it is as slender as a thread, then broad 

 as narrow braiding, and you have only to pull up a few handfuls of 

 this sea-grass, put it into a basket, bring it home and shove it into 

 your aquarium, and you will find such a family of lively little creatures 

 that were hidden among the fronds, as will amuse you for weeks 

 after in watching their antics. But the most beautiful of all the 

 algse is the Scarlet or Crimson Delesseria. There is no leaf hanging 

 from tree or flower more exquisite in form than that of this hand- 

 some seaweed. It has also a mid-rib, and spanning fibres like the 

 oak-leaf, and hardly one person out of a thousand would believe it 

 was a seaweed until they smelt of it. About midsummer it may be 

 found almost everywhere by the sea- side in perfection, and it is not 

 only useful, but as ornamental to an aquarium as a rose-tree iu full 

 bloom is to a garden. 



The Common Bladder-wrack, which every boy knows who has 

 been to the sea-side, through having stamped on the bladders or 

 air-vessels, that rise like blisters upon the weeds, and sound like 

 crackers ; and the Oar-weed, which sometimes grows to an immense 

 length, and is used for making knife- handles, must not be placed in 

 an aquarium, as they would soon spoil the water, and a good-sized 



