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FANCIEES' JOUENAL AND POULTEY EXCHANGE. 



Guinea pigs, in my opinion, havenotasarulereceived their 

 due from naturalists and writers upon the subject. They are 

 generally dismissed as being pretty and so forth, but destitute 

 of intelligence and other attributes necessary for qualification 

 as "pets." One writer (I believe the Rev. J. 6. Wood), 

 says they "make little noise." If this be the rule all mine 

 have been distinguished exceptions ; the irrepressible little 

 creatures knew the step of their feeder as well as their friends 

 and companions the Rabbits, and would set up such a chorus 

 of squeaking as quite to place them outside the category of 

 dumb animals. They resemble the housewife's " black bee- 

 tles " in the inappropriateness of their name, inasmuch as 

 the former are not beetles, and their color is by no means 

 black (it is sometimes white), and our little friends are not 

 pigs, and do not come from Guinea. To such an extent is 

 their restlessness carried that their young run about and eat 

 on the very day they are born, the precocious little animals 

 boasting as good a coat and eyesight as their parents. I 

 will not trespass upon your space further than to say that I 

 have found them as intelligent and interesting, apart from 

 their usefulness as "scarecrows," as any of the numerous 

 pets I have kept, but this, I imagine, was more owing to a 

 little kindness and good treatment, which brought out their 

 good qualities, than to any special happiness in the choice 

 of specimens ; nevertheless, I have never yet seen one to 

 equal my original little friends, Toby and his spouse Topsy. 

 — Journal of Horticulture. 



(For the FaDCiers' Journal). 



THE AQUARIUM. 



Of all the ornamental and instructive additions to a 

 drawing-room the aquarium takes the lead. Unlike many 

 other pets, the fish of an aquarium never sleep. They are 

 always visible; for, dwelling in a house with glass walls, 

 they are allowed no place for concealment. Nothing can 

 be more amusing than watching a newt and a young cat- 

 fish fighting over a worm ; the shiner darting hither and 

 thither like a flash of silver light, searching for food; and 

 the more sober sunfish standing under a piece of stone, or, 

 if there be none, in the centre of the tank amidst whatever 

 of plant life may have been used in making this artificial 

 home of these little oviparous creatures. 



Being such a truly aquatic arrangement, having aqueous 

 soil, aquatic plants, and aquatile inhabitants, we recommend, 

 as a new idea, that all aquarium adornments be henceforth 

 sacred to Aquarius, the water-bearer of the skies; and all 

 who desire to learn the habits of aquatic animals and insects, 

 shall seek out in the Zodiac the time and place of the great 

 aquarium of the starry palor. 



There are several forms of aquariums, the globe and tank 

 form being the most common. We give the following direc- 

 tions for arranging and stocking an aquarium : 



Till the bottom of the globe or tank with bar-sand to the 

 depth of several inches. On the top of this place quite a 

 number of middling sized pebbles; the pebbles and sand 

 should be thoroughly washed before used, so that any saline 

 or other impure matter secreted in them may be dissolved. 



The next thing in order is to obtain plants for supplying 

 the animal life in the aquarium with oxygen for respiration. 

 These plants you can get from the nearest brook ; the smaller 

 they are the better they answer the purpose. Plant them 

 in the sand, fill the aquarium one-fourth full of water, and 

 put in the rock work. A very nice kind may be made as 



follows : Take two flat pieces of stone about four inches in 

 length ; set these firmly in the sand, at equal distances from 

 each side of the tank or globe ; upon them place a large flat 

 stone, so as to make a bridge. Rocks scattered about the 

 bottom, so as to form little caverns, &c, will greatly enhance 

 the beauty of the aquarium. 



Now, let the tank or globe remain undisturbed for a week; 

 at the end of this time, if the vegetation flourishes, the glass 

 will be covered with a green scum. To destroy this, intro- 

 duce a number of water snails ; get these from brooks and 

 ponds, as river snails are so ravenous that they will destroy, 

 not only the green scum, but the plants also. If snails can- 

 not be procured, fresh water mollusca of any kind, except 

 large muscels, will answer equally well. As soon as these 

 little scavengers have devoured the impurities, remove them 

 all, except two or three to keep the water clear and fresh 

 after the fish have been introduced. The aquarium is now 

 ready to receive its occupants. 



Fish. — Shiners can be found in any little running brook; 

 sunfish delight in deep still pools, and there also young perch 

 and roach are generally to be found ; young catfish abound 

 in muddy ponds, near and connected with a river or creek ; 

 stickle-backs lurk under stones and river-weed ; young pike 

 are in the shoal water, near the shore of a mill pond ; min- 

 nows may be found in any stream of running water ; by 

 probing among the stones of a rivulet you will occasionally 

 come across a redfish ; gold and silver fish you will have to 

 purchase. 



Reptiles. — Newts and a large species of pollywog make 

 their home in most every duck pond ; water lizard are gener- 

 ally found under a clod of damp earth, near a brook, while 

 a smaller kind lurk under the stones of any tiny stream. 



Insects and Crustacea. — The water beetle and cramp 

 bug are indispensable additions, as is also the fresh water 

 shrimp and the brook lobster. 



If a large number of fish, &c, are 'desirable, they should 

 be introduced into the aquarium one at a time, and at long 

 intervals. If the fish seem not well supplied with oxygen 

 that is, if they rise to the surface of the water and gasp, 

 some of them should be immediately removed, as this con- 

 dition is caused by overcrowding. The water should be 

 changed only when it assumes a turbid appearance. 



The best food for the fish is small balls of flour and water, 

 or, better still, milk, mixed to the consistency of putty, with 

 an occasional angle worm. Peed once or twice a week, not 

 oftener. A great treat to them is little black tadpoles or 

 pollywogs; these they will devour with great relish. The 

 great fault of beginners is overfeeding. Always remove 

 from the water the scraps they do not devour. 



Paul Loqic. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



TO TRAP OLD BIRDS WITH YOUNG. 



After you have found a nest containing young birds, put 

 them, nest and all, within a common "figure-four trap;" 

 set this at the foot of the tree in which you found the nest, 

 with the bait-stick directly over the nest and its contents. 

 The old birds, attracted by the cries of their young, will 

 enter the box, perch upon the bait-stick, and, of course, 

 spring the trap. When you have caught one parent bird 

 remove it, and set the trap in the same manner for the other. 

 The old birds and their young had better at first be placed 

 in a room and allowed their liberty for a few weeks, until, 



