4278 Zoological Society. 



useful manner upon the public mind ; and the effect thus produced by 

 it ought to stimulate to still further successes. 



Aquatic Vivaria. 



The principal new work of the year has been the arrangement 

 of living fish, Mollusca, zoophytes, and other aquatic animals, first 

 projected in 1851, which has probably excited more attention from its 

 novelty and the intrinsic beauty of the objects themselves, than any 

 other of the recent additions to the collection. 



Although the series of tanks is limited to a length of 84 feet by the 

 present extent of the building in which they are placed, an immense 

 number of species have been exhibited in them, and it is a satisfac- 

 tory proof of the control under which the method of management has 

 been reduced, that there are at this moment several of the fish and 

 zoophytes in the tanks which were placed there in May last; and, in 

 the case of the fish more particularly, several others which formed 

 part of the number experimented on in 1852. 



The fish have spawned, and the zoophytes have produced their 

 young in considerable abundance. 



Algae are growing luxuriantly in those tanks which are not agitated 

 by the vivacious evolutions of the sea-fish, and this secondary fea- 

 ture is well worth the attention of botanists, to whom the opportuni- 

 ties thus afforded of studying the development of these plants are of 

 the most complete character ; while the extremely beautiful effect of 

 colour, dependent partly on the Algae themselves, and partly on the 

 peculiar action of transmitted light, are not less instructive to the 

 artist. 



The present arrangement of the house consists of six tanks of fresh- 

 water animals, chiefly fish, on the western side ; and seven of marine 

 animals on the eastern side ; exclusive of several movable tanks of 

 smaller size, which are placed as occasion requires in various parts of 

 the central area. 



The zoophytes which are most attractive in appearance are the 

 Actinias or Sea-Anemones. The finest examples of them are to be 

 found in tanks 9, 10, and 11, in which every age of these curious ani- 

 mals is well illustrated. 



A good illustration of that most singular fact in the physiology of 

 zoophytes, the alternation of generations, is at present afforded here 

 by the appearance of the detached young of Campanularia which ap- 

 peared for the first time on the 9th of February. 



