52 



Aquatic liitt 



aquatic 3Ufe 



A monthly magazine devoted to the study, 

 care and breeding of native, tropical, gold 

 and fancy fishes, other animals and plants 

 in the household aquarium. 



W. A. POYSER Editor 



JOSEPH E. BAUSMAN .... Publisher 

 542 E. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia 



Entered as second-class matter, September 

 2 1915, at the Post Office, Philadelphia, Pa., 

 under Act of March 3, 1879. 



Yearly Subscription $1.00 



Foreign Subscriptions 1-35 



Single Copy 10 cents 



Payments may be made by express money 

 order, draft, post office order or registered 

 letter. Foreign remittances should be by 

 international money order. 



Advertising rates made known on application. 



"Aquatic Life" is the only magazine in 

 America devoted exclusively to aquatic life, 

 and its value as an advertising medium in 

 this field of nature study, is unequaled. 



Copyright, 1916. by Joseph E. Bailsman. 



Vol. II December, 1916 No. 4 



stinging cells, which appear to produce 

 a stinging or benumbing effect upon 

 small animals. They resemble those 

 found in the Hydra, which is a higher 

 form of animal life. Paramecium mul- 

 tiplies by transverse division, the macro- 

 nucleus and micro-nucleus dividing in 

 half, a part going to each side of the 

 cell, which then becomes constricted in 

 the centre and separates, forming two 

 new individuals. 



The Leach 



The mention of a leech will recall to 

 most of us the "ole swimmin' hole" of 

 boyhood days. To an aquarist it also 

 means the black, wriggling worm that, 

 with haste and with difficulty, was evict- 

 ed from the breeding tank. There are 

 quite a number of species of leeches, 



ranging in size, when mature, from half 

 an inch to a foot or more in length, the 

 latter the horse-leeches. Some are quite 

 beautifully marked with soft tints of 

 green and yellow. The smaller species 

 and the young of larger forms are quite 

 serious pests as parasites of fishes. The 

 young leeches infect the gills and soft 

 parts of the fishes, gorge themselves 

 with blood, and cause the death of the 

 host. The tiny species are quite hard to 

 combat and sometimes cause epidemics 

 among young goldfish. Little can be 

 done other than to burn the plants and 

 thoroughly disinfect the tank. The 

 trouble is usually caused by eggs intro- 

 duced with daphne. 



Though we may regard them as a 

 whole to be pests, they have, of course, 



The Improved Dip Net Made by the 

 Aquarium Stock Company 



a place in nature's processes, and as 

 such are of value. One species, the 

 medicinal leech ( Hiritdo medicinalis) , 

 was formerly much used for blood-let- 

 ting, and still finds a demand far greater 

 than one would imagine. It will sur- 

 prise most aquarists to learn that the 

 Aquarium Stock Company handles a 

 quarter of a million medicinal leeches 

 annually. Due to the present upheaval 

 in Europe they are rather hard to ob- 

 tain, and to overcome the difficulty this 

 company has dispatched a man to Eu- 

 rope to collect them. 



The mouth of the medicinal leech is 

 peculiarly adapted for blood-letting. 

 The three horny jaws are provided with 

 minute teeth and work backwards and 

 forwards, the mouth being held firmly 

 to the spot by the powerful sucker. The 



