aquatic 2,iff 



149 



mon to both Europe and North America, 

 though its range is restricted and it can- 

 not always be found. In the aquarium 

 it does not confine its appetite to the 

 algae, and will attack the higher plants. 

 For this reason it should be provided 

 with abundant food, such as the com- 

 mon floating plants, and but one or two 

 specimens should be placed in a tank. 



The Red Ramshorn, American Rams- 

 horn, Ear and Niagara snails belong to 

 the order PuIvMONata, which includes 



land and fresh water snails. All are pro- 

 vided with a lung chamber and are with- 

 out gills, so it is necessary for them to 

 occasionally rise to the surface of the 

 water for air. The species described are 

 hermaphrodites, both sexes being present 

 in an individual. 



The Potomac Snail, Paludina cbntecta, 

 figure 2, and the Japanese snail are 

 closely related. In fact, they will inter- 

 breed if placed together. The sexes are 

 separate, and the males may be dis- 

 tinguished by the unequal size of the ten- 

 tacles, the right one being shorter than 

 the left. The eggs are hatched within 

 the female, and the young retained for 

 some time, being perfect snails about the 

 size of a pea when expelled. For this 

 reason it is possible to raise them in an 



aquarium with fishes. The full-grown 

 individuals spend much of the time in 

 inactivity upon the bottom, and, being 

 large, are of little use in keeping the 

 plants free from algae, the Ramshorns 

 being particularly efficient for this work, 

 due to their activity, small size and negli- 

 gible weight. The Potomac and Japan- 

 ese snails are provided with a gill, hence 

 do not rise to the surface for air, have 

 an operculum or horny plate by which 

 the shell is closed when the animal re- 

 tires within, and various other anatom- 

 ical details which prove their affinity to 

 certain marine snails. 



Every aquarium should contain a 

 small mussel or two. They can do little 

 harm, and may accomplish much good. 

 Figure 3 shows a tiny species, with the 

 foot by which it moves and the inhalent 

 and exhalent apertures extended. 

 Through one aperture the water is 

 drawn, the fod of the mussel extracted, 

 and then it is passed out through the 

 other. Raking up the mud and plants in 

 a pond or slow stream will usually reveal 

 a few specimens. 



Three kinds of Paradise Fishes are 

 known to aquarists : the common form, a 

 variety with reddish body and red 

 stripes, and Macropodis operculars hav- 

 ing a caudal fin resembling Haplochilus 

 or Belonesox — the most beautifully col- 

 ored one. — C. J. Heede. 



"He who buys had need to have a 

 hundred eyes, but one is enough for 

 him that sells the stuff." — Benjamin 

 Franklin. 



We don't believe that an Allentown 

 man saw a snake sixteen feet long. Prob- 

 ably a fishworm that somebody dropped 

 on their way home from a day's angling 

 in the Lehigh. 



