m 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Sixty $nltn\$. 



THE HAMBURG AQUARIUM. 



har- 

 the 



BY BR. H. DORNER. 

 1 - ■ 



[Continued from page 195.] 



BESIDES the gigantic Salamander, the Aquarium 

 bored two other very interesting Amphibise, 

 Mexican Axolotl and the European Proteus. Much has 

 been said and written about the former since 1865, when it 

 was discovered by Prof. A. Dumeril, that this animal, 

 known until then as belonging to the Perennibranchiata or 

 Amphibia, with permanent gills, under certain conditions 

 looses its gills, and turns out to be a genuine lung-breath- 

 ing Salamander. 



It will hardly be necessary to give a description of the 

 Axolotl. Its most remarkable peculiarity, the external 

 gills periodically swingirTg in the longitudinal direction of * 

 the body, may easily be studied in the numerous speci- 

 mens of the Banded Proteus (Menobranchus lateralis), ex- 

 hibited in the New York Aquarium. And it will not be 

 long before we shall see the Axolotl's themselves in New 

 York, though they may have become rarer since the time 

 of Fernando Cortez, whose army is said to have subsisted 

 for several months upon these animals. 



The Axolotl's were introduced into Europe in 1864 by 

 the Jardin d'Acclimatation, who exhibited five males and 

 one female, and was fortunate enough to raise about 600 

 young ones from them. Seven months after the coming 

 forth of the latter, when these had attained almost the 

 full size of their parents, some highly remarkable changes 

 took place in one of them. The large external gills dis- 

 appeared almost entirely, the crest on the back and tail 

 passed away, the head became narrower and more pointed, 

 and some light spots appeared on the black body and limbs. 

 Thus nearly the same changes took place in this animal 

 which had been seen number of times in the common Tri- 

 tons or Salamanders of Europe and America. Some weeks 

 later a few more of the young ones underwent the same 

 changes, until nine of them had assumed the ultimate 

 form. In the next year (1866) live specimens out of a 

 thousand exhibited the same extraordinary development, 

 and a few more were observed in the next year. 



Thus the supposition of some naturalists before the evi- 

 dence given by Dumeril that the Axolotl was really the 

 larval form of some unknown Salamander was established. 

 Cuvier, long before 1865, made the following remark: 

 "I am obliged to place the Axolotl among the genera with 

 permanent gills, because a great many persons testify that 

 it docs not loose the same," and Baird, the well-known 

 leading naturalist of thia country, said that the appear- 

 ance of the Axolotl was so very larval as to exclude any 

 doubt of its real nature, it being no evidence against this 

 assertion that the peiiect animal had not yet been found. 



The extraordinary facts in the natural history of this 

 animal are not the taking place of the said changes, for 

 the same or similar changes are regularly observed in a 

 great many other salamanders, frogs and toads; but its 

 taking place in such a limited number of instances, and, 

 secondly, in the producing of young ones by the larval 

 form. So these animals make an exception to the almost 

 universal rule that only the last and highest form of 

 animals perform the duty of reproduction. 



In the year 1870 the Hamburg Aquarium exhibited five 

 Axolotl's, three males and two females. They were very 

 lively, and took their food, consisting of earthworms and 

 thin pieces of meat very readily. Sometimes they de- 

 voured small minnows (Leuciscus pJioxmus), and like- 

 many other aquatic animals seemed to be fond of ants eggs. 

 Their usual way of breathing was by means of their gills 

 in water, but sometimes they came to the surface taking 

 air, and then turning the head downwards with the same 

 rapidity as our Tritons do. During daytime they used to 

 crawl slowly along the bottom, but in the night they lay 

 upon plants near tne surface iu order to breathe more easily 

 from the atmosphere. The latter was sometimes done so 

 vehemently, that one could distinctly hear the air rush- 

 ing in. 



in ihe first days of January, 1871, a great commotion 

 wa3 seen among the females, chasing the males almost con- 

 tinually for more than two days. At last the males, whose 

 vent appeared to be swollen, like that of the Salamander 

 under similar conditions, deposited numerous gelatinous 

 triangular heaps, the summit of which contained the 

 sperm. On the following day spermato zoids floated 

 through the whole tank, and every drop of the water when 

 brought under a microscope ,,was seen to be crowded with 

 these minute, constantly undulating beings. The same 

 day the females began to deposit the eggs, attaching about 

 20*0 of them to the branches of some aquatic plants in the 

 same tank. To avoid accidents, all full-grown animals 

 were carefully taken out and placed in a neighboring tank, 

 a precaution proving to be a very prudent one, as it was 

 observed that the unnatural parents devoured all eggs 

 which were produced afterward. The first laid eggs soon 

 began to enlarge moderately, the yolk, which invariably 

 had a black color, underwent the usual furcations, and 

 already on the fit tli and sixth day after the deposit the 

 oblong larvae were clearly to be noticed in every transpar- 

 ent egg. On the ninth day the first movements were ob- 

 served, and the animal had become so long as to be obliged 

 to bend its whole body. 



By discontinuing the constant stream in the tank the 

 temperature was somewhat raised, and numerous in- 

 fusoria, rotixers, and other minute aquatic animals fit to 

 serve as first food made their appearance. On the twenty- 

 fourtii day after the deposit the soft egg snells began to 

 burst, and the first young Axolotl's made their appear- 

 ance, measuring about eight lines, and moving quickly after 

 the manner of young tad-poles, which they nearly resembled 

 but for their light •olor. The three gills on each side 



had the form of small cylindrical appendages, and did not 

 show any of the numerous branches which are seen in the 

 full grown animals. Unfortunately the temperature could 

 not be raised high enough, as was necessary to sustainthe 

 life of these tender creatures, and so further observations 

 had soon to be discontinued, as all the young ones died in 

 about two weeks. But as mentioned already, several pri- 

 vate persons were happier in their attempts, and not only 

 young ones have been obtained, but also the ultimate lung- 

 breathing form has been produced several times. The 

 latter result has chiefly been obtained by keeping the largsr 

 young ones in flat tanks, and forcing them to leave the 

 water in order to get their food. 



In conclusion, it may be mentioned that very likely the 

 lung breathing, higher developed form, has been the regu- 

 lar one in earlier centuries. This is made probable by 

 Alexander von Humboldt, who maintained that Mexico, 

 their native country, had a greater number of lakes, and a 

 more moist air in former times than at present. If so, the 

 Axolotl would furnish another proof to the hypothesis that 

 it is the natural surroundings which affects the forms of 

 animal life, not an innate endeavor or exertion to change 

 to higher developed forms. 



The relatives of the Axolotl, such as the Banded Proteus, 

 further the different species of Necturus, the Sirens, and 

 other Amphibia, to be found in lakes of North America, may 

 undergo similar changes when kept under favorable con- 

 ditions in well arranged Aquaria, and we may feel satisfied 

 that the New York Aquarium will make every exertion to 

 get possession of them. No other Aquarium in the world 

 has the means of advancing science in regard to these very 

 interesting animals, the natural history of which may be- 

 come utteily important when sufficiently known. 



One of the smaller tanks of the Hamburg Aquarium 

 contained some specimens of the European Proteus {Proteus 

 anguineus), an animal to be found only in subterranean 

 lanes of Krain (Austria). When we got them their whole 

 eel-like body was of a yellowish roseate color, and as soon 

 as they were brought into their tank they quickly endeav- 

 ored to conceal themselves among the rocks, evidently 

 avoiding the light. Nobody could see these animals with- 

 out being thoroughly interested in their peculiarly graceful 

 form. Their head is long and flat; their legs are very 

 short and slender, the fore-feet ending in three, the hind- 

 feet in two toes, without any nails or claws. Like the 

 Axolotl's, they have external gills of a bright red color. 

 Their eyes are extremely small, and entirely concealed be- 

 neath the skin, so that it is impossible for them to get dis- 

 tinct impressions of form by sight. Yet they are affected 

 by the light, and very probably their whole skin is sensible 

 for its delicate touch. This seems to follow, firstly, from 

 their constant anxiety to get out of the light and remain in 

 perfect darkness; and, secondly, from the fact of the light- 

 colored skin changing to black when exposed to daylight . 

 In about three months the change is completed; at first 

 some dark spots make their appearance, and finally a 

 a blueish black color prevails all over the body, except on 

 the belly and the under side of the compressed tail. 



In some Aquaria these animals have been kept for more 

 than two years without ever taking food given them on 

 purpose. Dr. Mettenheimer killed two Proteus which he 

 had kept without any food for two years and two months, 

 and was surprised to find in the stomach of one them two 

 liviug intestinal worms. Our specimens did not show the 

 same abstemiousness, but were often seen to devour earth- 

 worms and other food with avidity. They displayed the 

 greatest activity, however, when there were brought into 

 their tank water insects and small Crustacea, such as Gam- 

 marus and Daphnia, to be found in sufficient quantities in 

 Ceratophyllum and similar aquatic plants. Then the Pro- 

 teus were observed to cross the tank in every direction, 

 snapping and catching the insects easily and quickly with- 

 out impeding their rapid progress. But they did not per- 

 ceive animals being at rest, their vibrating motion being ne- 

 cessary to rouse the usually inert Amphibia to activity. 

 Oue of the Proteus was observed to have smaller gills than 

 the rest, but it seemed that this had been done by biting, 

 and it remains questionable wnether the Proteus, like the 

 Axolotl, may occasionally loose the gills entirely and be- 

 come a genuine lung-breathing animal. Until now very 

 few facts of the development of the Proteus are known. 

 Prof. Max Schultze, in Strasburg, a renowned naturalist, a 

 short time before his death last year, made the first de- 

 scription of the eggs of the Proteus, which never before 

 had been seen by any naturalist. They nearly resemble 

 those of the Axolotl, differing from them principally by 

 having a light-colored yolk. 



[To be continued.'] 



^<H^ 



— Mr. Monroe A Green, the brother of Setli Green, has 

 just returned fiom a trip to the river St. Lawrence, during 

 which he obtained for the State fish hatching establishment 

 three million eggs of lake fish, and about two million eggs 



of brook trout. 



«»•«- ■ 



— Seventy-five black bass were put into Winooski river 

 at Montpelier, Vermont, Friday week, by the fish commis- 

 sioners of the State. This gamey fish increases so rapidly 

 that in a few years the river should be over stocked with 



them. 



, .^> i » 



— Last week some evil disposed persons attempted to de- 

 stroy the salmon in the Government tank at Oxford, by 

 placing in the water upwards of a bushel of lime. The 

 night watchman, who was in the building, hearing a com- 

 motion among the. fish, went to the tank, and finding the 

 lime, immediately ran to the hotel and notified Mr. Wilmot, 

 who fortunately happened to be in the village. By the im- 

 mediate removal of the lime and admission of fresh water, 

 the whole of the fish were saved from destruction. — Am- 

 herst (JY. JS.) Gazette. 



«»»4»- 



IMPREGNATING SPAWN. 



^ ' * 



Seth Green, the veteran fish culturist, writes us from 



Rochester, under date Nov. 10th, as follows:— 



I have repeatedly been asked the question what I thought the best 

 manner ©f impregnating spawn. In the year 1864 I discovered what is 

 known as the dry process of impregnation, and have practiced it ever 

 since. I will briefly describe the process: We take a pan and dip it 

 into water, rinse it around, then pour it out again, leaving only that in 

 which adheres to the pan. We then strip the spawn of the female in 

 the pan, and on top of it the milt of the male; mix them thoroughly by 

 gently tipping the pan from side to side for a few seconds. When you 

 nave spawn enough in the pan to cover the bottom let it etaad abeut five 



minutes; then put about one-half an inch of water over the spawn, then 

 let it stand about thirty minutes in a cool place— a good place is in an 

 empty hatching trough with a little water flowing through. Then fill 

 the pan two-thirds full of water, and if the spawn does not stick to the pan 

 wash them by filling the pan two-thirds full of water, and carefully 

 pouring it off, do so till the spawn is perfectly clean, and they are 

 ready for the hatching trough. This process is found to work admira- 

 bly on brook trout, salmon trout, white fish, salmon and shad. 



Seth Gbebn. 



%tnml l§i8targ. 



ADDRESS OF A. R. WALLACE BEFORE 

 THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 



ON SOME RELATIONS OF LIVING THINGS TO THEIR ENVIRON- 

 MENT. 



OF all the external characters of animals, the most 

 beautiful, the most varied, and the most generally- 

 attractive are the brilliant colors, and strange, yet often 

 elegant markings with which so many of them are adorned* 

 Yet of all characters this is the most difficult to bring under 

 the laws of utility or of physical connection. Mr. Darwin, 

 as you are well aware, has shown how widens the^influence 

 of sex on the intensity of coloration; and he has been led to 

 the conclusion that active or voluntary sexual selection is 

 one of the chief causes, if not the chief cause of all the 

 variety and beauty of color we see among the higher ani- 

 mals. This is one of the points on which there is much 

 divergence of opinion even among the supporters of Mr. 

 Darwin, and one as to which I myself differ from him. I 

 have argued, and still believe that the need of protection is 

 a far more efficient cause of variation of color than is gen- 

 erally suspected, but there ^are evidently other causes at 

 work, and one of them seems c to be an influence depending 

 strictly on locality, whose nature wejjcannot yet understand, 

 but whose effects are everywhere to be seen when carefully 

 searched for. 



Although the careful experiments of Sir John Lubbock 

 have shown that insects* can distinguish color— as might 

 have been inferred from the brilliant colors of flowers 

 which are such an attraction to them — yet we can 

 hardly believe that their appreciation and love of distinc- 

 tive colors is so refined as to guide and regulate their most 

 powerful instinct^that^of reproduction. We are therefore 

 led to seek some other*cause|for the varied colors that pre- 

 vail among insects, and as this variety.is most conspicuous 

 among butterflies — a group, perhaps, better known than 

 any other, it offers the best means of studying the subject. 

 The variety of color and marking among these insects is 

 something marvellous. There are probably .{about ten 

 thousand different kinds of butterflies now known, and 

 about half of these are'so distinct in color and marking 

 that they can readily be distinguished by this means alone. 

 Almost every conceivable tint and pattern is represented, and 

 the hues are often o^such intense brilliance and purity as 

 can be equalled by neither birds nor flowers. 



Any help to a comprehension of the^causes which may 

 have concurred in bringing about so much diversity and 

 beauty must be of value, and this is my excuse for laying 

 before you the more important cases that I have met with 

 of a connection between color and locality. Our first ex- 

 ample is from tropical Africa, where we find two unrelated 

 groups of butterflies belonging to two very distinct families, 

 characterized by> prevailing'blue color not found in any 

 other continent. Again we have a group of African Pieri- 

 dse which are white or pale yellow with a marginal row of 

 bead-like spots, and in the same country, one of the 

 Lycaenida? is colored exactly like these that it was at first 

 described as a species of Pieris. None of these four groups 

 are known to be in any way specially'protected so that the 

 resemblance cannot be due to protective mimicry. 



In South America we have far more striking cases. For in 

 the three sub-families — Danainse, Acrasnise, and Heliconiinse 

 — all of which are especially protected, we find identical 

 tints and patterns reproduced, often in the greatest details, 

 each peculiar type of coloration being^characteristic of dis- 

 tinct geographical subdivisions of the continent. Nine very 

 distinct genera are implicated in these parallel changes. 

 The resemblance thus produced between widely different 

 insects is some times general but often so close and minute 

 that only a critical examination of structure can detect the 

 difference Detween them. Yet this can hardly be true 

 mimicry, because all are alike protected by the nauseous 

 secretion which renders them unpalatable to birds. But it 

 is among islands that we find some of the most striking ex- 

 amples of the influence of locality on color generally in the 

 direction of paler, but some times of darker and more 

 brilliant hues and often accompanied by an unusual in- 

 crease of size. Thus in the Moluceas and New Guinea we 

 have several Papilios distinguished from their allies by a 

 much paler color, especially in the females, which are 

 almost white. Many species of Danais are also very pale. 

 But the most curious are the Euplceas, which in the larger 

 islands are usually of rich dark colors, while in the small 

 islands of Banda, Ke, and Matabello, at least three species 

 not nearly related to each other are all broadly banded or 

 suffused with white. ***** From the Fiji Islands 

 we have comparatively few butterflies, but there are several 

 species of Diadema of unusually pale colors, some almost 

 white. 



The Philipine Islands seem to have the peculiarity of 

 developing metallic colors. We find there at least three 

 species of Euplma not closely related, and all of a more in- 

 tense metallic luster than their allies in other islands. Iu 

 tfceso islands also we find tht extensive and wonderful 



