aquaria: their present, past, and future. 265 
green kinds, at will. Sometimes I succeed, but always by 
chance, not knowing why. 
Of the general influence of aquaria on Zoology we have curious 
evidence in Mr. Crosse’s most excellent “Manual of Marine Zoology 
for the British Isles,” published in two volumes, in 1855-1856,in 
which the author enumerates 1,785 species, from sponges to fishes, 
and of which he figures 779 genera, always preferring to draw 
from living animals whenever possible. Now, as at that period a 
larger number of aquarium animals had passed through his hands 
than through those of any other person, he may be presumed 
to have, up to then, seen more of them alive than anyone else. 
Yet he enumerates only 201 as having been drawn from life, as 
he avowedly preferred doing, and of these but a dozen were 
fishes, others being, for the most part, small creatures, or those 
which are easily maintained, and do not need large tanks and 
elaborate machinery. But, during the twenty years which 
have elapsed since 1856, I have seen and handled, and had 
under my care, in England, France, and Grermany, about 433 
species of British marine animals, of which 112 were fishes. 
There are few things more trying to that great virtue — 
patience — than a large public aquarium, especially in its pre- 
paration, before it is ready for the reception of animals. It is 
to this lack of patience on the part of the directors of the 
Boyal Westminster Aquarium, and to their absolute refusal to 
allow me to have proper engineering assistance during its con- 
struction, and to general mismanagement, that its present con- 
fused state, and its unsatisfactory condition in every way, is 
due. On this account, I resigned my post of adviser to the 
society, as I found it useless to advise when advice w T as reck- 
lessly disregarded. Aquarium work, being hydraulic engineering 
on a small scale, is essentially the work of an engineer, and 
not that of an architect, unless he is also an engineer and a ma- 
thematician. There is for aquaria a great and important future, 
both as regards their influence on science, and as pecuniary 
speculations, if indeed, as I much doubt, there can be any real 
severing of these two interests. Success, however, must always 
be the result of a careful study and representation of what 
nature does, and of a strict avoidance of the recent heresies to 
which I have in this communication adverted. 
