CHAPTER VII. 



AMPHIBIANS' 



N a large aquaxium, wUcli contains an island of some 

 kind, various interesting amphibians may be kept. 

 Indeed, so interesting are many of tbese animals 

 that it is woi'th the while and expense to provide tanks entirely 

 for their use, particularly in the case of those reptiles which 

 woidd be likely to prey upon the usual inmates of an ordinary 

 aquarium. For instance, a fresh-water tortoise, unless it is very 

 small, will not be likely to live for any length of time among 

 fish and beetles without devouring many of them. This lesson 

 I learnt somewhat unpleasantly several years ago. I had placed 

 a tortoise in a large tank, properly arranged, as I thought, 

 for his comfort. When he became tame enough (as he quickly 

 did) not to take a header from his island into the water on my 

 approaching the aquarium, I used to feed him by placing small 

 worms or tiny minnows as near to him as I could. He would 

 crawl close to his food, suddenly seize it in the curious manner 

 peculiar to reptiles, and after tearing it with his sharp claws 

 swallow it in a very dog-hke fashion. I soon got fond of the 

 Emys, and thought him a most interesting addition to the tank. 

 However, it was not very long before I had cause to qualify my 

 opinion, for one morning I noticed some curious things upon the 

 water, which upon closer inspection I found to be the air-bags of 

 fish. He had eaten, as tortoises so often do, all his prey except 

 the tell-tale bladder. Of course, he was banished to another 



