22 PRESH-WATEE AQTTARIA. 



of slate, according to Fig. 8, only a piece of plate-glass -will 

 be seen as its front, no top bar being necessai-y, whicli would 

 mar the effect. The whole combination may be supported by 

 a strong wooden stand outside the window (Fig. 30); or if 

 the room to which it is affixed is an upper one, iron brackets 

 let into the wall must be used instead of the stand. The 

 frame, back, and sides should be glazed with tinted cathedral 

 glass, especially if the view from the window is unpleasing. 

 One large sheet is used for the back (A, Fig. 29); but if it 

 should not be convenient to use only one pane for this 

 purpose, the necessary wood-work for more than one may be 

 tastefully covered inside with cork, with here and there a 

 fern, which may .be planted in the following way : Get a 

 small, round tin canister with a few holes punched in the 

 bottom, and sew round it two pieces of sufficiently-curved 

 cork, using thin copper wire for this purpose, and in this 

 contrivance plant the fern. Ferns 'in suitable baskets may be 

 hung from, the roof of the frame, but care should be taken 

 that they are not too heavy, as this roof should be so 

 arranged as to open and shut at pleasure. No fern ought to 

 be hung in such a way that the drip from it would fall 

 inside the aquarium. If anything does hang over the tank, 

 it should be a fern-basket and filter ia one, which combina- 

 tion is not difficult to make. 



A fountain playing in the aqua.rium will be a great im- 

 provement, and can, according to circumstances, be more or 

 less easily contrived. 



Directions for making fountains and the filter are given in 

 another chapter. 



Fig. 30 represents a section of the fernery and aquarium 

 combination. A, window-sill ; B, aquarium ; and D, trays 

 for ferns, ranning the whole length of the aquarium; B, one 

 of the hanging-baskets; F, fountain; G-, wooden support; H 

 and I, legs to support aquarium and tray. The trays ought 

 to have holes in their bottoms, to allow for drainage, which 

 should be able to run freely through the floor of the frame- 

 work into the yard or garden outside. Instead of the trays 

 and D for ferns, one tray, so arranged as to admit of 



