THE STUDENT'S AQUARIUM. 



'5 



had fish in my charge treated as above, and in a few days the 

 marks of a person's hand has appeared in the growth of a fun- 

 gus. I have seen it where the fingers and thumb have been 

 fully outlined, and in nearly every case it has resulted in death. 

 The most important reason why you should adapt yourself to 

 the use of the net only, at home and on collecting expeditions, 

 is your own safety. In my own experience I have had so many 

 what I thought close calls, that I cannot lay too much stress 

 on what we are at first sight led to believe is a simple matter. 

 An instance, one of many, that I consider came near costing a 

 lad and myself our lives, occurred in the lower bay of New 

 York city, and may not be out of place if mentioned here. I 

 was in the employ of the Great New York Aquarium, and was 

 on a collecting expedition. It was Summer, and we were in a 

 small cat-rigged sailboat, and had pleasantly sailed through 

 the Narrows and were heading for Port Monmouth, N. J. I was 

 about half way across the bay when the wind died out and we 

 were becalmed. The lad was in the bow and I was lazily 

 smoking in the stern and almost asleep, when he shouted out, 

 "Look! look at the snake!" I replied, "You must have 

 good eye-sight to see a snake ashore from here." But on 

 looking in the direction pointed out, I saw, about fifty yards 

 from the side of the boat, the head and part of the body of a 

 snake extending about six inches from the surface of the water 

 and pointed to the sky. By a good deal of manoeuvring, still 

 having no wind, I managed to get alongside. The lad's first 

 impulse was to take hold with his hands, and I must confess 

 that I came near doing the same, thinking it was only a small 

 adder, he having one coil around a Diamond-back Turtle, 

 which was nearly exhausted. However, I took the net and 

 lifted turtle and snake into one of the cans of water I had in 

 the boat. I leave it to the reader to decide whether the lad 

 and I had a narrow escape or not, when on my return to the 

 Aquarium, and after due inspection it was determined that the 



