THE NEW YORK AQUARIUM 



MAIN FLOOR 



"Oh ! the gallant fisher's life 



It is the best of any; 

 'Tis full of pleasure, void of strife, 

 And 'tis beloved by many." 



Walton. 



The center of the main floor is occupied by a tank thirty- 

 seven feet across and seven feet deep, devoted to porpoises 

 and dolphins, closely allied warm-blooded mammals be- 

 longing to the whale family. 



The six other pools around this floor, proceeding from 

 left to right from the main entrance, contain.: 



1. Large marine turtles. Of these the green turtle of 

 the Atlantic coast from New York southward is the most 

 important of the sea turtles and the one commonly used 

 for food. It attains a weight of 1 ,000 pounds or more. The 

 loggerhead turtle, of the Atlantic coast from New York to 

 Brazil, also attains great size and weight, but is not a food 

 species. These large turtles have lived many years in the 

 Aquarium. 



2. Fresh-water turtles. In this pool are the diamond-back 

 terrapin, the finest of edible species, the Cumberland tur- 

 tle, the wood turtle, Lesueur's terrapin, the chicken turtle, 

 several large specimens of the soft-shelled turtle and 

 others. 



Young alligators and bullfrogs also find a place here. 



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