The Zoologist — November, 1873. 3753 



Vienna, Manchester, Southport, San Francisco and Naples) have 

 been commenced ; and still three others (at Frankfort, Birkenhead 

 and Rothesay) are partially erected. 



We will now enter the Crystal Palace Aquarium, Guide-book 

 in hand, or rather 'Zoologist' in hand, for I am indebted to the 

 courtesy of the Crystal Palace Company for the use of their stereo- 

 type plan of the aquarium, which explains the details. 1 fear I have 

 been a long time in reaching this point, but I hope I have spent 

 that time pleasantly and advantageously ; and thus between fear 

 and hope, the two great ingredients of human life, I also enter a 

 restricted passage, which is not without its dangers : 



" Contra, jussa monent Heleni, Scyllam atque Charj'bdim 



Intra utramque viaru, leti discrimine parvo, 



Ni teneant cursus." 



jEneid, book iii. line 684. 



The prosy style is my Scylla, the florid my Charybdis; I will 

 try to steer between them. 



The plan of the aquarium is shown by the plate: in round 

 numbers, it is 400 feet long and 70 feet broad. It is only one 

 story high, and this ground-plan exhibits everything that requires 

 explanation, except a reservoir, which is under ground, and con- 

 tains 100,000 gallons of sea-water, kept in the dark. On the subject 

 of keeping a very large proportion of the water in the dark a great 

 deal has been said by Mr. E. Edwards, formerly of Menai and now 

 of Chester, Mr. Warington, of London, and Mr. Lloyd. Various 

 contrivances have been tried for keeping a portion of the water of 

 aquariums thus in the dark, on the plea that but little light can 

 penetrate the ocean, a fact strongly supported by the fact that the 

 deep-sea animals are frequently without eyes, or at least without 

 eyes that we are accustomed to consider as such, thus showing that 

 vision is neither required nor possessed at great depths below the 

 surface : on this subject I cannot forbear to quote Mr. Warington. 



" When the rays of light strike the glassy surface of the water, the 

 greater part of them are reflected, and those which penetrate are refracted 

 and twisted in various directions by currents of the water ; and when the 

 depths are considerable it would be few rays that would penetrate to the 

 bottom ; but let the surface become ruffled by the passing wind, and it is 

 little hght that can be transmitted ; and when the same disturbing cause 

 lashes into waves and foam, not a ray can pass, and all below must be dark 

 as night."— ^00?. 5702. 



