252 THE LIFE OF PHILIP HENRY GOSSE. 



North Devon, the latter proceeded to Torquay, and the 

 Gosses came up to London. They took a small house in 

 Huntingdon Street, Islington, and this became their home 

 for some years. 



There is not very much to record regarding the year 

 1854. Gosse worked much at the Rotifera^ and he estab- 

 lished several marine tanks, which he supplied with animals 

 and plants from Torquay and Weymouth. Edward Forbes, 

 C. Spence Bate, and Charles Kingsley were his most 

 constant correspondents, and the latter threw himself with 

 his customary splendid energy into the popularization of 

 the marine aquarium. In December, 1853, Kingsley had 

 written from Livermead, on Tor Bay, to know whether he 

 could be useful in sending " beasts " up to town. Gosse 

 replied with eager gratitude, and supplied him imme- 

 diately with a hamper of suitable wicker-covered jars. 

 These Kingsley promptly returned very successfully packed 

 with desirable specimens, and a brisk correspondence of 

 this nature went on all through the first six months of 

 1854. On May 30 Gosse writes to Kingsley: "My most 

 charming tank is now thirteen weeks old, and contains 

 nearly a hundred species of animals, and perhaps twice 

 that number of individuals, all in the highest health and 

 beauty. They include four fishes, viz. LahriLS Donovani^ 

 Gobitis minntiis^ Gobiiis tmiptmctatus, and Syngnathus 

 anguinens ; besides many of the treasures you have kindly 

 sent me, — our old friend the ' say-lache ' among them, — 

 and the seaweeds which are the subject of my paper in 

 the Annals of Natural History for the coming month." 



In June the Gosses went down somewhat suddenly to 

 Tenby, in Pembrokeshire. The Aqtiariiun had just been 

 published, and was selling like wild-fire. This book, I 

 may mention, was the most successful of all my father's 

 literary adventures ; although the coloured plates with 



