VESSELS FOR AQUARIA. 23 



of Viva and Enteromorpha, to keep the water in a fit 

 state for the inhabitation of the animals. In my second 

 tank I have Actinia mescmbryanthemum, three specimens ; 

 A. fragacta, two specimens ; A. tigrina and Bunodcs gem- 

 macea, of each one specimen ; A. marginala, five specimens ; 

 minnows, thirteen specimens ; three crabs of the genus Lupa, 

 seven hermit-crabs, one or two Scrpida and Ulva lalissima 

 and luctuca, Eater omorpha comprcssa and intcstinalh, Clado- 

 phora rupestris, Grinnellia Americana and Ptilota deeans— 

 but this is rather too full, though it seems to succeed. In 

 my other marine tanks there is a little variety in the 

 animal life ; thus sometimes when I introduce hermit- 

 crabs I omit the minnows, as I find that if I happen to 

 forget to feed my minnows until they get ravenously hun- 

 gry, they will attack the hermits, and after nibbling off 

 their antenna, at last drag them from their shells and 

 attempt to cat them — but are oftencst disappointed, as a 

 Lupa will be most likely to carry off the prize, though not 

 to devour it in peace, for the fish will gather round and 

 dispute the ownership of every morsel. In a fresh water 

 Aquarium of this size, I usually place three small gold-fish, 

 one sun-fish of not too great a size, two small dace, and 

 three or four minnows; and in one tank I have (besides) 

 three little black-spotted sun-fish. To these I add a dozen 

 or two snails of the genera Lymnea, Physa, Mclania, JPa- 

 ludina or PlanorMs, and sufficient Ccratophyhim, Lemma, 

 Cham, or any other plant or plants to aerate the water. 



When we wish, however, to keep larger fish than min- 

 nows of four inches in length, we should make use of a 

 tank of proportionate size, and not be sparing of room, 



