69 



Guide to the Port Erin Aquarium. 



preface. 



The first edition of this Guide was drawn up in the winter 

 of 1901, when the new Biological Station was building, 

 but still unoccupied. Consequently, the selection of 

 animals to be dealt with in each group was largely 

 determined by our experience in the old Aquarium on the 

 north side of the bay. Some additions are, therefore, 

 necessary now that we have much larger tanks, a constant 

 stream of circulating salt-water, and better facilities of 

 various kinds in the new institution ; still, the greater 

 portion of the work applies without change, and the 

 improvements in the present edition are for the most part 

 additions rather than alterations. Mr. Chadwick has 

 supplied me with some of these additions, stating that 

 they were suggested to him by the questions asked by 

 visitors walking round the Aquarium, the most note- 

 worthy being the part dealing with the fishes. I have 

 thought it useful to add at the end some description of the 

 sea-fish hatching operations conducted in the building, 

 and to place, as an introduction, a short account of the 

 Biological Station and of the methods employed by 

 Naturalists in capturing the various marine animals that 

 they study, and some of which they are able to keep for 

 public exhibition in the tanks of the Aquarium. 



It is evident to us, both from our own limited 

 experience in this Aquarium, and also from the history of 

 other similar but larger institutions elsewhere, that much 



