BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 277 
just tlie thing to fill up some vacant niche or space, which space, 
however, would be entirely unfitted to the requirements of the aqua- 
rium. This would simply lead to waste of money, to vexation and fail- 
ure, as well as to cruelty to innocent and helpless creatures. It is cer- 
tainly distressing to any one having the slightest feeling of kindness 
for dumb animals, and fully understanding the meaning of it, to see a 
lot of fish gasping for air. at the top of an aquarium, absolutely tor- 
tured by slow suffocation ; for unless relieved, death must result. 
STOCKING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE AQUARIUM. 
In the internal arrangement of the aquarium we may please our in- 
dividual fancy. Those, however, who imitate nature most closely, avoid- 
ing incongruities — such, for instance, as the use of sea-shells and corals 
in the fresh- water aquarium — will have aquaria most worthy of admi- 
ration. Aside from the unnatural appearance, the use of shells and 
corals is to be avoided, for the reason that, being soft and easily decom- 
posed forms of carbonate of lime, they introduce injurious chemical 
action. 
There are a great many plants which will thrive in the aquarium. 
Those most commonly sold for the purpose are Myriophyllum, Cerato- 
phyllum, and a species of Cabomba. They seem to do the best under 
all circumstances and have from choice the largest sale. There are 
many others, however, which, although not as large or of as vigorous 
growth, add very much to the ornamental features of the aquarium. 
Aquatic plants possess a beauty all their own, and they are the crown- 
ing glory of a well -conditioned aquarium, which can be made as beau- 
tiful as a wardian case. Those plants which root at all grow readily 
if fastened in the terra-cotta ornaments sold for that purpose, or if sim- 
ply planted in the sand and pebbles. Some plants, such as the eerato- 
phyllumand the bladderwort, never root even in nature, but will grow 
freely either fastened down or floating loose. Care should always be 
taken not to crush them at the base by binding them too tightly with 
the strips of soft metal sometimes used to bunch them. The metal can 
be cut into fine strips, or fine copper wire may be used. If plants 
which root are crushed, they will rot off before they have time to send 
out roots and will come to the surface. In this case the fish are gen- 
erally blamed for pulling them up or eating them off, as they will be 
seen to eat of the decaying plant as it softens. The arrangement of 
the plants is of course a matter of individual taste. They may be ar- 
ranged with mathematical precision, as an orchard would be planted, 
OF mingled with the graceful abandon of nature, as you will. 
The use of sand, pebbles, or shingle is also wholly a matter of indi- 
vidual fancy, as it is principally a matter of ornamentation. Sand, or 
sand and pebbles mixed, forms a compact mass, and as the sediment 
will collect on the surface of it, it is more easily removed than where 
pebbles alone are used. The aquarium may be more easily kept clean 
