1346 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 





THE AQUARIUM BUILDING, FORMERLY CALLED CASTLE GARDEN, IN 1836 



From an old print 



remedjdng this defect to a considerable extent. 

 In warm weather when the building is crowded 

 with visitors, the air often becomes close. 



"Much of the labor of the Aquarium is di- 

 rected to the work of cleaning. The tiled 

 floors are carefully swept each evening and are 

 washed with the hose every morning before 

 visitors arrive. A vacuum cleaner is kept in 

 regular use. The service galleries behind the 

 exhibition tanks are kept well whitewashed, and 

 washing and painting in various parts of the 

 building is going on almost continuously. There 

 can be little dirt in the Aquarium except that 

 which comes in various ways with the daily 

 crowd of visitors." 



*From the annual report of the Director of the 

 Aquarium to the Board of Managers. 



Fishes and Their Parasites. — -Most of the 

 fishes which are lost from time to time at the 

 Aquarium are the victims of worm parasites 

 Avhich are found in their gills, intestines or 

 viscera. Dr. G. A. MacCallum, who for some 

 time has been makina; examinations of all such 



specimens, has described a number of new spe- 

 cies of parasites infesting our fishes. 



There may be nothing in the appearance of 

 a fish or of a whole tank of fishes, to show that 

 they are not in the best of condition, but when 

 a dead specimen is examined, it is usually 

 found to have suffered in some way from para- 

 sites. 



It may be possible that some method may be 

 found of eliminating these pests. Fishes in the 

 Aquarium have often been observed drawing- 

 sand into their mouths and blowing it out 

 through the gill openings. It is possible that 

 this is helpful when there are parasites attached 

 to their gills. Acting on this hint, all tanks 

 have recently been supplied with sand and many 

 fishes are using it. 



There is no doubt that losses among our 

 fishes have decreased as their needs have been 

 discovered and the facilities for handling them 

 improved. There are many specimens in the 

 collection that have lived and thrived there for 

 years, and the general health of animals in the 

 Aquarium is excellent. — C. H. T. 



