Aquatic Lite 75 
The most useful cover is one made of 
glass, of the same diameter as the jar, 
with bits of cork glued to its edges at 
several places in such wise as to allow it, 
when set on the jar, to rest on the corks 
a quarter of an inch above the top of the 
aquarium. The cover prevents the escape 
of crabs, snails, etc., retards evaporation, 
and keeps out dust. 
At the New York Aquarium animals 
in all balanced aquaria are fed three 
times a week with macerated clam, care 
being taken to drop small pieces on the 
end of a stick or with long wooden for- 
ceps, upon the tentacles of the corals and 
anemones, which may then be seen to 
carry the food to their mouths. All food 
not eaten within a few hours is carefully 
siphoned off with a glass tube. 
For the inland aquarium dried shrimp, 
dessicated codfish after the salt has been 
soaked out of it, fresh-water mussels, or 
fresh fish, finely chopped, would serve. 
Fresh fish, however, is oily, and even an 
expert aquarist must take unusual care 
in using it. 
A bit of wood stuck on the end of a 
stick, and covered with felt or cheese 
cloth, is useful to clean the inside of the 
glass. In the matter of impurities in the 
water, an ounce of prevention is worth 
many a pound of cure, particularly in the 
inland marine aquarium. Watchfulness 
for dying plants and dead animals, and 
their speedy removal, is highly requisite. 
For this a long wooden forceps is a con- 
venient tool. Some aquarists advocate a 
bit of charcoal placed under the rocks as 
a clarifier. During a succession of gray 
days, the water may be erated by lifting 
out a dipper full at a time, and letting it 
fall back from a height of several inches. 
When the sand appears dirty, it is well to 
siphon off the bottom with a rubber tube 
until about four inches of the water have 
been drawn. his can be used again by 
= 
filtering through four or five thicknesses 
of cheesecloth, or letting it seep through 
a sponge placed in the bottom hole of a 
watering can. ‘The same method may be 
employed if the water appears a trifle 
cloudy. 
What is only difficult may appear to 
the novice impossible. He must not be 
discouraged if his first efforts fail, how- 
ever, but remember that “Patience and 
perseverance overcome all obstacles,” 
and, as a wise woman once remarked, the 
only difference between the difficult and 
the impossible is that the impossible takes 
a little longer time. 
The Medaka 
I notice in your December number a 
reference to the Japanese fish, Medaka. 
I am interested in knowing that the little 
fish lays eggs and is not viviparous like 
some of its American relatives. It does 
not belong to the genus Haplochilus, 
however, but is type of a distinct group 
which I have called Oryzias, because it 
swarms in the ditches of the Japanese 
rice fields (Oryza=rice in (Caress)... Its 
right name is Oryzias latipes—Davip 
STARR JORDAN. 
——+——___ 
The best advertising is what other peo- 
ple say about you, not what you say 
about yourself. What they say depends 
upon the sort of service you have given 
them. The strength of Aquatic Life lies 
in this accumulated balance of good-will 
in the “Bank of Reputation.” ‘This bal- 
ance has grown to such an extent that 
the name “Aquatic Life” is the hallmark 
of accurate and interesting information 
on matters pertaining to the aquarium— 
and every aquarian and scientist recog- 
nizes it as such. 
ee Rete 
There is a difference between imitating 
a man an] counterfeiting him. 
