38 



FEESH-WATER AQUARIA. 



it is tte better. The funnel should occupy the same position 

 in the bottle as represented in the illustration (Fig-. 35). The 

 bottle ought to have a piece of strong string tied round its 

 neck, in order that it may be easily carried — even while water is 

 funning through the siphon — from place to place. Another 

 bottle should be fastened to the end of a strong walking- or other 

 stick, so that water may be taken from the pond, ditch, or 

 stream, both near the edge and some distance from it, and 

 poured into the bottle possessing the siphon. As soon as 

 the latter is f ull of water, which is supposed to contain the 

 minute animals required, the siphon is made to run, and by 



constant additions of water 

 is allowed to continue 

 doing so until sufficient 

 captives are taken. 



When the muslin gets 

 choked — as it occasionally 

 will do — with mud and 

 the like, it may be cleared 

 by gently strikiug it once 

 or twice against the sur- 

 face of the water within 

 the bottle. This operation 

 will necessitate, of course, the re-starting of the siphon. As the 

 Entomostraca are attracted to the surface of the water by the 

 shining of the sun, a fine rather than a duU day should be 

 _ chosen for catching them. 



Besides the cans, bottles, and nets, the collector of specimens 

 for the aquarium will find the following articles very useful 

 during his hunting expeditions: (1) A pair of forceps, (2) a 

 small brush of camel's-hair, (3) a piece of macintosh, (4) magni- 

 fying-glass, (5) wading boots, (6) wire, string, and pocket- 

 knife. 



The forceps are convenient for qtiickly and gently picking 

 certain animals off the weeds, or out of the mud brought to 

 the banks with the weeds, and placing them into the receptacles 

 prepared for them. Fig. 36 represents two kinds of forceps. 

 The steel forceps may be obtained, for a small sum of money, of 



FIG. 35. Bottle and Siphon. 



