FISH AND CEUSTACEA FOE MARINE AQTTARIUM. 113 



hecaiise any fresh-water fish that spawns in salt water, and 

 vice versa, will flourish in either condition ; but, as w^e 

 have repeatedly observed, large fish occupy an amount of 

 space, and demand an amount of oxygen, that will not ad- 

 mit of those addenda without which we cannot produce a 

 characteristic Aquarium ; we are compelled, on that ac- 

 count, to restrict our attention not only to fish more 

 diminutive, but to those accidental aberrations of nature 

 which furnish us with dwarfish specimens of such as are of 

 greater magnitude. 



The Stickleback, Triton {Gasterostens) ^ and also the 

 Minnow {Leucisms), -we have amply described, under the 

 head of the Fluvial or Fresh-water Aquarium. They will 

 do admirably together. The minnow, however beyond 

 the stickleback in size, is not often disposed to try the 

 point of those two-edged swords with which his compan- 

 ion goes ready armed, like a warrior arrayed ca'p a pie in 

 all the panoply of battle. The stickleback, though a 

 pigmy, is one of the most truculent of his tribe ; yet he 

 little cares to do more than chase up the minnow, when 

 the latter provokes him by a display of too much inquisi- 

 tiveness, unless the exasperation be prolonged, when he 

 (metaphysically) " takes off his coat — rolls up his sleeve" 

 — and usually leaves bis antagonist under the impression 

 that — 



" Jordan is a hard road to travel, I believe." 



The bass, bagall, tom-cod, catfish, flounder, poggee, and 



