Lb 



THE PRINCIPLES 01 



ami perseverance to accomplish what has been done iii i 

 the knowledge required for the proper management of tkl 

 Aquarium, and still it is in its infancy. Perhaps before I 

 Long we shall have Aquaria, in which we may le ahlel 

 to observe the habits of the shark, the whale and, per- 1 

 haps, the veritable sea-serpent itself, ami interest ourselves 

 in watching them secure their prey. Ami again, We very* 

 likely shall have tanks in which the rise ami fall of the I 

 tide will be imitated so exactly, as to allow us to keep* 

 certain animals and plants that it is not possible to make fe 

 flourish in an Aquarium where the water is always it rest. I 

 We may have storms in our miniature ocean that may I 

 turn out to be but "tempests in a tea-pot," but which 1 

 will answer all the purpose of their mightier brothers. 



Some time back it was the fashion (and is still to a 

 certain extent, but 1 am glad to sec it is rare) \q keep 

 "•old-fish in globes for our amusement, but unintentionally;! 

 for their discomfort. It is said that Madame Pompadour, 

 to her other sins and weaknesses, added that of setting this 

 fashion of studying the, really, tortures of poor fish. When- 

 ever I sec several gold-fish in a glass globe, I feel in- '".' 

 clined either to turn them out iido the nearest stream, or 

 to make their life of confinement bearable by throwing 

 into the water some kind of water-plant. Keeping birds 

 in cages is not so cruel as keeping fish in globes, as they 

 are usually so kept ; the birds have plenty of food, air 

 and sunshine, but the fish are retained in imprisonment on 

 short commons, deprived of these necessaries to their well- 

 being and comfort. Many persons wonder why they have 

 never been aide to raise, or, at least, to keep alive fish , 



