by a dozen its chance of longevity is small. It is, lowever, 

 Bach an interesting little arcHtect, that a clean bottle of largish 

 dimensions might be profitably spared it. 



As regards the Water-beetles, the largest of the family (Hy- 



d/r'dUB pisem) is one of 

 the few sufficiently 

 harmless to be placed 

 in the aquarium with 

 impunity. Besides be- 

 ing harmless, the large 

 water-beetle is service- 

 able as a scavenger 

 by clearing from the 

 plants the animalculae 

 that collect thereon. 

 It is better to buy 

 creatures of this sort 

 from the regular dealer 

 in aquaria than to 

 catch them yourself 

 and trust to chance 

 THE WATER-BEETLE. as to their natures : 



you might make the 

 most dreadful mistakes. Suppose, for instance, in your 

 innocence, you introduced to your finny friends a few mem- 

 bers of the Bytiscus ma/rgmaUa 

 family. This terrible fellow, which 

 even in its comparatively harm- 

 less larvahood is known as the 

 " water-devil," makes it hia busi- 

 ness to attack every living thing . 

 that crosses its path. It is some- 

 times advertised as an insect that 

 will live at peace with its fellows ; 

 if so, the matured beetle is less 

 ferocious than the larva, for, accord- 

 ing to Dr. Lankester, he put two 

 together in a bottle, and when, 

 in the course of an hour he reached 

 home, there was but one — the other 

 was killed and eaten. They have 

 no stings, but bite furiously and 

 effectively with their upper jaws, haemless water-beetle 



