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Rustic Adornments . 
their forms and sizes should be to expose as large a surface as possible to the 
atmosphere, consistent, of course, with the cubical contents of the vessels. If 
they were made so shallow as to afford only just sufficient depth for the crea¬ 
tures to be quite immersed, it would be far safer than to proceed in the other 
direction, of giving more depth than needful. Take account of whatever 
aquarium failures you can remember amongst your friends, and you will 
invariably find that the vessels which caused the most trouble and gave the 
largest per-centage of losses, were over a foot deep; and if we adopt for marine 
stock the rectangular vessels that were made in plenty when the aquarium first 
became popular—vessels that were generally constructed with four sides of 
glass and a depth equal to half or more of their length—we shall consign to 
the tomb every item of marine stock committed to it. Instead of preserva- 
tories, such tanks are sepulchres; river fishes may need no better, but marine 
zoophytes soon perish in them. 
You must have observed, if at all conversant with these pursuits, that marine 
zoophytes consigned to a glass or 
earthenware dish while the tank 
is being prepared them, exhibit 
every sign of vigorous health. 
When transferred to the tank the 
trouble and vexation begin ; the 
conclusion may be drawn there¬ 
from that the dish is the best 
place for them, and the tank the worst. It is a common mistake to 
consign marine animals to deep tanks in which they are more likely to 
perish than prosper. True, the sea is deep, and true also that most of 
the creatures kept in tanks are from its shores, where they are often laid 
bare by the receding tide, or with the merest film of water over them, to pre¬ 
serve them cool and moist in the sunshine. But there is another reason why 
we must not be led astray in supposing that deep vessels offer the best con¬ 
ditions for our purpose. The sea is too vast a mass in itself to bear compari¬ 
son as to its internal economy with a tank containing a few dozen, or even a 
few hundred, gallons of water. Its constant motion suffices to entangle and 
carry far down below the surface immense supplies of atmospheric air, and its 
abundant vegetation insures the most complete aeration of its waters. There¬ 
fore, for the pelagic or deep-sea life, shallow tanks are still the best, and if you 
are at this moment puzzled how to make a deep vessel answer for marine stock, 
RECTANGULAR ROCK-POOL TANK. 
