4086 Notices of New Books. 



A coil of small Annelides. 



Several Serpulae. 



Acaridae. 



Entomostraca. 



Infusoria. 



Grantia nivea. And other smaller zoophytes and sponges, which 

 I could not identify. 

 " Soon after this examination I went on a journey, and did not re- 

 turn till the 7th of July. The weather had set in very hot : whether 

 this, combined with the closeness of the room, had had any effect, I 

 do not know ; but on my return I found the water beginning to be 

 offensive, a sort of scum forming on the surface, and the animals evi- 

 dently dying. Some were already dead, but most of the others reco- 

 vered on being removed to fresh sea-water. This result, though it 

 puts an end to my experiments at this time, I do not regard as con- 

 clusive against the hypothesis ; for of course animals are liable to 

 death under any circumstances, and the corrupting body of one of 

 these in so limited a volume of water would soon prove fatal to others, 

 even though there might be no lack of oxygen for respiration. It is 

 possible that one of the large Actiniae may have casually died during 

 my absence, the timely removal of which might have averted the con- 

 sequences to the others ; but this is only conjecture. Perhaps there 

 was too large an amount of animal life in proportion to the vegetable ; 

 but the maintenance of all these in health and activity for nearly nine 

 weeks seems hardly to agree with such a supposition. 



" Should these experiments be perfected, what would hinder our 

 keeping collections of marine animals for observation and study, even 

 in London and other inland cities ? Such a degree of success as I 

 have attained would admit of so desirable a consummation, for even 

 in London no great difficulty would be experienced in having ajar of 

 sea-water brought up once in a couple of months. I hope to see the 

 lovely marine Algae too, that hitherto have been almost unknown ex- 

 cept pressed between the leaves of a book, growing in their native 

 health and beauty, and waving their delicate translucent fronds, on the 

 tables of our drawing-rooms and on the shelves of our conservatories. 

 u It is a curious circumstance that experiments exactly parallel to 

 these, founded on the same principles, have been simultaneously pro- 

 secuted with the same results by another gentleman, whose name is 

 well known in the scientific world. Mr. Robert Warington, of Apo- 

 thecaries' Hall, has now (December, 1852) at his residence in London, 

 a marine aquarium with living Algae and sea Anemones in a healthy 



