Aquatic fiitt 



111 



or yellow, in accordance with the objects 

 near at hand. Hideous creatures are 

 they, lying there silently, awaiting a fish 

 that fails to perceive that stones such as 

 they have mouths. Now the sand moves, 

 a darting creature rises from it, and then 

 slowly settles down — to become sand 

 again. It is a great flat fish that, now 

 we have located it, is seen to lie so close 

 to the sand, and to so nearly resemble it, 



(jo now to tbe market place in Naples. 

 There we find tbe same hideous crea- 

 tures — sold as food. Here are baskets 

 of the octopus, the same rubber-like 

 arms, tbe same glaring eyes. This basket 

 may contain a number of small ones, 

 that basket a few arms chopped off from 

 a very large one. Here are the repul- 

 sive fish that resemble stones, there the 

 transparent squids, next the cuttle fish, 



Aquaria in the Conservatory of the Missouri Botanical Garden 



as to make it impossible to tell where 

 sand ends and fish begins. There are 

 others about ; we see their still eye look- 

 ing upward, but no one can trace their 

 bodies. 



The next tank contains crabs, with legs 

 two feet in length. There are tanks of 

 coral, of sharks, of transparent squids, 

 the cuttle fish, and hosts of fish and crea- 

 tures of all colors, shapes, sizes and 

 habits. The water is as clear as air, the 

 creatures live before our eyes, the most 

 instructive object lesson of the world 

 concerning aquatic life of this most inter- 

 esting- sea. 



not less unsightly. In fact, whatever the 

 sea breeds, seems to be a food for man, 

 or to feed upon man. It is a question, I 

 take it, as to which is the stronger. Some- 

 times the man eats the octopus, again 

 the octopus eats the man. Whoever 

 travels as I am now traveling, needs leave 

 his squeamish stomach at home. Ask no 

 questions. Eat whatever others eat. 

 That is good philosophy, and it is good 

 breeding, too. Withal, it is but a differ- 

 ence in education. The man who eats 

 the slimy oyster or the slippery clam 

 needs not criticize him who considers the 

 octopus a delicacy, nor yet should the 



