THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



227 



common '-carboy," one of those large am- 

 monia bottles obtainable at any chemical 

 works. With a red-hot poker I made a little 

 crack just above the largest part of the bottle, 

 and by moving the poker the crack would 

 follow it until I had cut it completely in two, 

 I could afford no better, and indeed I was 

 proud of this. Many have been the hours I 

 have spent with it, and many also have been 

 the lessons I derived from this simple vase. 

 If you can't afford to buy a better one, do as 

 I did. Never mind if somebody with a more 

 eostly one smiles at you for so doing, there is 

 something far nobler in having a glass stocked 

 with living wonders at home, than there is in 

 spending your time away from home over a 

 glass filled with a less innocent liquid. If 

 you can spare a few shillings for a proper 

 glass, so much the better, you may make it a 

 litde more ornamental, and better still if you 

 can manage to get a properly made square 

 tank, but unless you have some knowledge of ! 

 joinery don't attempt to make one yourself, 

 if they are not properly made they are always 

 leaking, and there is no end of trouble. If | 

 you do make one, the simplest way is to get a j 

 piece of hard wood for the bottom, say a piece | 

 of oak 12 inches by iS, and firmly screw on 

 two wooden ends the same width as the : 

 bottom, and 12 or 14 inches high. Then put 

 ia the two sides, with glass let into a groove, 

 and firmly cemented with red lead putty. A i 

 strip of wood must lay on the top edge of 

 each glass, screwed at each end. and after the j 

 cement has become hard your aquarium is 

 ready to be stocked. Sometimes a second- 

 hand one can be bought very cheap ; a very 

 handsome one was advertised some weeks 

 ago in this paper, and was offered at a very- 

 reasonable price. Square ones are best, { 

 because you can see the objects better than J 

 in a round one, as the latter always throws j 

 the object you are looking at cut of shape. 

 However, much of the si::e and shape must be 

 left to individual taste and circumstances, but 

 suppose the aquarium is got, the next thing is 

 to stock it, and in this nature alone must be 



your guide. First of all get some river sand, 

 and wash it well, spread this to the thickness 

 of about an inch over the bottom of the tank. 

 Next get some shingle and small pebbles, and 

 put a thin layer of this over the sand . Then 

 get some rough pieces of rock, and place these 

 in irregular positions about the tank, which 

 if a wooden-ended one had better have them 

 arranged at each end against the wood ; the 

 pieces may be built up into any shape with 

 Roman cement. Do not put sea-shells, or 

 any foreign object of that sort into a fresh- 

 water aquarium, they do not look well in the 

 eyes of a naturalist. When the cement has 

 become thoroughly dry. the next operation is 

 to fill it with water, and this must be done 

 cautiously, or else you will disarrange your 

 bottom covering. To do this put a basin into 

 the bottom of the tank, and gently pour the 

 water into the basin until it flows over and 

 fills the tank to the height of the brim, the 

 remainder may then be poured in cautiously, 

 without the basin. The next thiug is to put 

 in the live stock, and in this some care will 

 be required, otherwise you may have war 

 amongst the inhabitants. The plants will 

 require a small stone tying to them to weight 

 them down, they will then send out roots 

 among the sand and shingle at the bottom. 

 Vallisneria is a very pretty plant for an 

 aquarium, it grows from the bottom with long 

 narrow leaves. It is a very curious plant, 

 the male and female flowers are borne on 

 separate stems. The male flowers are on 

 short stalks, and when matured detach them- 

 selves, and float upon the surface of the 

 water. The female flowers are upon long 

 stalks, coiled up into a spiral, like a cork- 

 screw. When they are mature the spiral 

 uncoils, and the flower reaching the surface 

 of the water, comes in contact with the small 

 flowers, which are floating loosely about, 

 After they have performed the function that 

 nature has allotted them, the spiral again 

 contracts and brings the female flower t once j 

 more beneath the surface. Another useful 

 plant, and a striking coutrast to the last, is 



