338 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



7th. The fact that, owing to the configuration of the ground, 

 and also to adjacent property belonging to the Municipality, the 

 gardens cannot get "built in," or their appearance spoilt by 

 houses being built overlooking them, as at Antwerp, Berlin, &c. 



The site is inhabited by many wild birds, and the Society is 

 putting up nesting-boxes, and doing what it can to protect and 

 encourage the birds. 



The proposed scope of these new Zoological Gardens is very 

 ambitious ; it includes houses for all wild animals usually kept 

 in captivity, and also an aquarium. 



10. Naples, Italy. 

 The Aquarium. 



I do not intend here to give any description of the world- 

 famous Zoological Station of Naples (its imposing buildings 

 beautifully situated in the park by the sea " Villa Nazionale," 

 its library, rows of large and sumptuously fitted workrooms, 

 its cosmopolitan workers and the large sums of money spent on 

 it are all well known), but to confine my remarks to that part of 

 it, the Aquarium, which is open to the public. 



The chief interest of this Aquarium is that the animals and 

 plants exhibited in it are local, being all from the Gulf of Naples. 

 From the point of view of the casual visitor it differs from other 

 aquariums in that he has to pay more to see it, the entrance 

 price being two francs per person. The exhibits are not 

 labelled, but extremely well written and profusely illustrated 

 guide-books, in several languages, can be purchased. 



In July, 1910, the collection of live animals I saw in the 

 Naples Aquarium consisted of : — 



Eeptiles. — One Loggerhead Turtle {Thalassochelys caretta). 



Fishes. — Eepresentatives of forty to forty-six species : One 

 or two Anguillidce, one MurcEnidce, one Centriscidce (several 

 individuals of the quaint red Trumpet Fish, Centriscus scolopax), 

 two Syngnathidce, one Mugilidce, one Gadidce, five Serranidce 

 (including many individuals of the Marine Gold Fish, Apogon 

 rexmulloriLin, which are bright red with conspicuous black eyes), 

 one or two Scicenidce, nine or ten Sparidce, one MidlidcB, one 

 Caproidce (several individuals of the red Boar Fish, Capros aper), 

 three to five Lahridce, two Pleuronectidce, one GobiidcB, . one 



