aquatic Hilt 



25 



by the Honeywell Specialties Company, 

 of Wabash, Indiana, through whose 

 courtesy T am enabled to present the ac- 

 companying illustrations, is known by 

 the writer, after several years' experi- 

 ence, to be unusually efficient for opera- 

 tion in connection with tropical fish main- 

 tenance. 



The Nurse Shark 



The curious, pig-like habit of the nurse 

 sharks of Florida have been brought to 

 tbe notice of the North Carolina Acad- 

 emy of Science by E. W. Gudger. A 

 third of the circumference of Boca 

 Grande Cay. a small coral sand island 

 twenty miles west of Key West, is 

 bounded by a gently sloping rock bottom, 

 on which the water half a mile from 

 shore is not more than four or five feet 

 deep, and on this bottom great numbers 

 of the sharks gather to bask in the sun, 

 play, breed and possibly feed. With sel- 

 ('om less than a dozen visible, as many 

 as thirty-three have been in view at one 

 time. They are broad, sluggish, so little 

 afraid that a boat may touch their fins 

 before they will move, and they lie piled 

 together in a confused herd, like well-fed 

 pigs in a barnyard. Sometimes three of 

 four together swim aimlessly about. 

 They are harmless, with small mouths 

 filled with small, pointed teeth, and 

 though omnivorous, their food seems to 

 be ehieflv crustaceans. 



Educating the Goldfish 



He found his own front porch with 

 wonderful accuracy, navigated the steps 

 with precision, and discovered the key- 

 hole by instinct. Once in the dimly- 

 lighted hall there was an ominous silence, 

 followed by a tremendous crash. 



"Why, what has happened, Henry?" 

 came a voice from above. 



"It's all right, Mary, but I'll— I'll learn 

 these goldfish to snap at me !" — Every- 

 body's. 



Vallisneria Spiralis 



J. CHAS. WOBLER 



There are just a few aquarium plants 

 that rank in efficiency with Vallisneria 

 spiralis, the Eel-grass, Tape-grass or 

 Wild Celery. Given a little sunshine, or 

 even without, it grows remarkably fast, 

 producing new plants from its creeping 



Vallisneria Spiralis 

 From Wolf's "Goldfish Breeds" 



stems or stolons, and rapidly forming 

 thickets of bright green ; sometimes half 

 a dozen plants will be found strung to- 

 gether. It suffers somewhat when com- 

 pared with Sagittaria, because its leaves 

 are more tender and easily broken in 

 transplanting, otherwise it is equally 

 good. In general it seems to prefer more 

 sunlight than Sagittaria, and a shallower 



