OR, THE HOME-CULTTJRE OF FRESH- WATER PLANTS. 



a stationary barge, where they occasionally congre- 

 gate in large numbers, lying one over the other. 

 This state of torpidity becomes so complete in the 

 depth of the winter, that they may be taken by the 

 hand without making any attempt to escape. 



The Flounder may be placed either in a fresh or 

 salt water tank, as he frequently ascends our rivers, 

 sometimes not finding his way back to the sea. 

 His singular action in swimming is so distinct from 

 that of the kinds of fish more frequently observed, 

 that it forms an agreeable variety in the Aqua- 

 rium. It is from its peculiar action when swimming, 

 near the bottom, that the Swedes give this fish 

 the name Flundra, from which the English name is 

 derived. 



Another kind of swimming action may be ex- 

 hibited by the introduction of an Eel or two to the 

 collection, care, however, being taken not to over- 

 stock the colony ; for it is said that two small fish 

 and as many aquatic plants are enough for each 

 gallon of water. The sharp-nosed Eel (Anguilla 

 acutorostris), and the broad-nosed species (A. lati- 

 rostris), are equally common. Both belong to the 

 Lamprey tribe, Cuvier's Murcenidce, or eel-shaped 

 fishes. The specimens selected should be small, as 

 large ones have been known to devour small-sized 



