70 



aquatic liiit 



where an occidental would use a wind- 

 lass, not to mention an up-to-date pump. 

 We are indebted to Mr. Eiichiro Na- 

 kashima, who took the photograph, for 

 thoughtfully posing Mr. Akiyama before 

 the portal of one of his sorting and equip- 

 ment houses. Several other views are in 

 hand, including a series showing the 

 various implements used hy Japanese 



breeders. 



♦ 



The annual meeting of The Reading 

 Aquarium Association was held on 

 Tuesday evening, December 17, 1918, 

 in the store of Mr. George S. Breneiser. 

 The work of the past year was reviewed 

 and plans formulated for 1919. Accord- 

 ing to the report of the secretary the or- 

 ganization has forty-three members, 

 most of whom are active, in whose col- 

 lections may be found "anything" from 

 common goldfish to lionheads, and wild 

 fishes from native minnows to the regal 

 Pterophyllum scalare. The financial con- 

 dition is sound. 



The following were elected to office : 

 President, John Kershner ; vice-presi- 

 dent, T. Ralph Wilson ; secretary and 

 treasurer, S. D. Mellert ; assistant sec- 

 retary, Oscar A. Becker; official judge, 

 George S. Breneiser. 



It was decided to continue awarding 

 ribbons at the monthly competitions, with 

 a special prize to the member who cap- 

 tures the greatest number of firsts dur- 

 ing the year. A dinner was served at the 

 conclusion of the meeting. — Oscar A. 

 BACKER, Assistant Secretary. 



The inaugural meeting of the South 

 Australian Aquarium Society was held 

 last March, the formation of which was 

 suggested partly by the interest taken in 

 aquaria, established in the South Aus- 

 tralian Museum. The society was estab- 

 lished "with the object of promoting the 

 study of aquaria and aquatic life by the 



association of its members and others 

 who may be interested." During the 

 past eight months excursions and meet- 

 ings have been held, including visits to 

 various aquaria, and the reading of pa- 

 pers by members. On Tuesday evening, 

 November 5, 1918, the first annual meet- 

 ing was held at the residence of Mr. J. 

 W. Hosking, Norwood. The balance 

 sheet and report, read by Mr. H. M. 

 Hale, secretary, indicated that the in- 

 augural period had been eminently suc- 

 cessful, and that the organization was 

 justified in continuing and extending its 

 operations. The following were re-elect- 

 ed to their respective officers : President, 

 Edgar R. Waite, F. L,. S. ; vice-president, 

 J. W. Hosking; committee, C. G. Pilking- 

 ton, R. Rash and E. R. Catt ; auditors, 

 A. E. Wadey and B. B. Beck ; honorary 

 secretary and treasurer, H. M. Hale. A 

 syllabus of meetings and outings was ar- 

 ranged for the coming year. 



Of all the fins of a fish the pectorals are 

 the most transparent and usually so de- 

 void of color as to escape ordinary atten- 

 tion. This, to originate an expression, is 

 "protective absence of color." The pec- 

 torals are in constant motion even when 

 the individual is still. If they were col- 

 ored it is obvious that the eye of a pass- 

 ing enemy or prey would at once be ar- 

 rested. This was shown in an interesting 

 way by a poeciliid hybrid in the collec- 

 tion of George W. Price. The fish was 

 one of the "darks" or dominants of the 

 cross, deep orange and black. One pec- 

 toral was deep velvet black, while the 

 other was normal (transparent). When 

 viewed with head or tail toward the ob- 

 server the effect of the waving black fin 

 was startling. 



You think your job is the hardest in 

 the world, but it's soft compared to the 

 one your mother had raising you. 



