This beach touches the main land only once In all 
this distance, and then for only about half a mile, 
and Is only once cut by an Inlet. On Its extreme 
western end Is Fire Island Light* and the Surf 
House, a summer hotel of considerable celebrity. 
West of rliis the beach Is broken by inlets commit' 
___ ntenting with the waters inside Into shorter 
stretches of from three or four to ton miles 
S in length, which are variously namod, tho 
extreme western, one being known as Coney 
The extreme west end of Coney (or more 
mw properly Cunysts) Island, lies directly south 
from the New York 1'ost onico, from which 
It Is distant Just ton miles, and Is separated 
from the main land by Gravesend Hay, as 
■gj Is the eastern by ShoopShCHd Hay—these 
two bays being connected by a sinuous 
IN:,' tidal creek 
THE OLD RURAL 
week’s Illustration—the Angler—Is, to quote the 
words of an enthusiast, “ a marine strategist, 
whose ways aro so wonderful, and whose cunning 
Is so consummate, that the writer hardly dare 
risk his reputation as a truthful historian by 
slating the facts. With a mouth stretching 
these double - headed infants, and again, these 
twin growths—“ salmonese twins,” as the Aqua¬ 
rium wag has eh l istened them — two perfect bod¬ 
ies from one egg, and still attached to the llfc- 
givtng sac! 
it would be an unending task to continue to hut 
BY GERALDINE GERMANE, 
I love it, I love it, and who shall dare 
A page or a line to innr or tear ? 
I’ve treasured it long as a sacred prize; 
I have read it with smiles and I’ve read it with sighs. 
'Tis bound by a thousand bonds to my heart, 
Not a tie will break, not a link will start. 
Would ye loam the spell? It came to the hearth 
Of the dear old home, and I know its worth. 
In childhood’s hour, how oft T'd wait. 
Its coming long at tho Trout gate: 
How eager list while father would read. 
And strive each word to remember and heed! 
It taught me ways of wisdom and truth, 
Was joy of my childhood and guide of my youth; 
’Twas welcomed by all, aud loved at the hearth 
Of the dear old homo where wc prized its worth. 
My grandstre read it many a day, 
Though his eye. was dim and liiB locks were gray; 
And I almost worshipped him when he smiled 
And said, "here’s a story for you, my child.” 
Years rolled on ; oh, how fast they spoil! 
A corner is empty —my grandfather's dead ' 
He no longer cons its lines by the hearth 
Of the dear old home where we prized its worth. 
My childhood's past, but I glaoce o'er it now 
With quivering' breath aud throbbing brow; 
’Twas what, the dear ones so loved to read, 
And gave them new life in thought and deed. 
Soy it is folly and deem It weak, 
For a Journal thus to feel or speak; 
But I love it, I love it, and cannot boar 
That a page or line you should mar or tear. 
The Island la live miles long 
and varies I n width from a low rods to near¬ 
ly a mile. Of Its whole extent, about sixty 
Itfl acres lying mostly adjacent to Lbo creek, 
may be considered arable; the rest Is a 
mare Band heap, the form of whose surface 
constantly changes as flic winds drive tho 
sand back and forth, nice snow hi winter. 
B Hut bare aud uninviting as it may seem 
iron), Ibis description, enterprise and capl¬ 
in till are fast, making It the moat, popular sca- 
jSsr side resort on the American continent. 
Previous to lstr., visitors from New York 
B; to tho Island were convoyed to Its western 
gp end by small steamers, whose passengers 
tp wore not always of the highest order, and 
|p t he accommodti Hons at tho Island were not 
tP such as to attract tho custom or the better 
SI classes. In fact, tho place was given over 
jxj to roughs and rowdies. (U la hotter now, 
as law and order prevail.) Hrooklyn peo- 
£g§ pin reach tho central portion after a long 
WSi and dusty rldo on horse curs, or by another 
23? route where, for a part of tho way, a dum- 
gre my engine furnishes motive power. The 
accommodations on the bench were scanty. 
But a little back wore the Oceanic House 
9 and Van Slcklen’8—then, as now, noted lor 
the excellence of their tables, and to tho 
east was the Ocean House, to be reached 
only by carriages or a long, tiresome walk 
'aS after leaving tho borae ears. Beside those 
teg* a tow Shantys scattered along the beach, 
ala the proprietors or which furnished poor 
food and worse liquors to applicants, was 
all tha t could be soon. The sea aud the suer 
were much as now. Hut all else Is changed. 
Go with mo this hot afternoon and sec for your¬ 
self. Wo cross the Hast River by Fulton Ferry, 
almost, directly under the bridge whoso growing 
cables look like spider webs above us, and take 
our choice Of three linos ot horse cam, either of 
which will convey ns to the depot of the Prospect, 
Park and Coney Island ILK., where we c.hango 
Into the clean and commodious cars of that line, 
and are soon going at, almost, lightning speed 
through what may be called tho kitchen garden 
of New York. 
The country through which we pass Is perfectly 
Hat, aud the Helds, which are under the highest 
cultivation, are covered with growing crops adapt¬ 
ed m market purposes. Almost, before we have 
time to think about It, we snuff the reviving air 
of old wean, and feel its cooling breezes, it,seems 
wonderful how such a change can come In so 
A FISH PALACE. 
In the first article on the Aquarium, some Idea 
of the tank arrangement was given; but In order 
to All the tanks with all that Is rare and curious, 
numerous expeditions have been equipped, and 
sent to the most remote places. Thus It will bo 
apparent that students In Ichthyology have op¬ 
portunities for studying common and rare species 
never bcrorc available on this continent. Addi¬ 
tionally, there has been established a library and 
reading room, which enlarge the field of study. 
The first tanks that attract, attention, on enter¬ 
ing, contain living sponge and what seems to be 
cuttle-fish bone, greatly discolored. The last Is, 
however, the eggs of the Skate, which aro being 
successfully hatched. Further on, we find tho 
black and yellow Grunt, a fine tropical fish; and 
In a neighboring tank, darting among branches of 
living coral, are the Squirrel-tlah. But what can 
wc think of a Cow-fish, so called, not because It 
Is a philanthropist of the finny tribe and overflow¬ 
ing with t he milk ot fishy kindness, hut because 
of Its striking resemblance to the bovine? ns 
companions are triangular fish, beautifully mark¬ 
ed, and whoso mouths seem to be perpetually 
puckered Into an ejaculatory oh! In a charm¬ 
ingly-arranged tank are placed a bewildering va¬ 
riety of Sea-Anemones, or nil shades and shapes, 
whose fibrous tentacles seem to reach out after 
the Infinite In an entirely Inemctent manner, but 
they manage to pick up uncousldered trifles with 
neatness and dispatch. Their digestive organs 
would draw tears of ouvy from a dyspeptic. They 
seem to have a positive relish for stones and 
young crabs, and yot they look so fragile and 
beautiful that one would suppose a wave could 
destroy them. 
Sandwiched among these harmless guests Is a 
Green Maray, a sort of India-rubber corkscrew 
animal, which looks sufficiently ferocious to he 
dreaded by the natives of the West indies, ills 
“businessend" Is undoubtedly tits mouth, aud 
the spectator can think ot pleasanter things to 
put his foot upon, If he happens to be wading 
in tropical waters. The “ Hell.Header ” Is a block 
mass of ugliness, who seems to be overwhelmed 
with some secret grief, as he 
rocks from side to side at the 
bottom ot the tank. 
The collection of Crabs Is very IB M p ur: 
complete, and here we have a ^^R|||pH§gg 
new phase of the Beauty and the 
Beast story. On the top of a shell . 
which acts as the back of one ot ^B | 
the hermits, reposes, in graceful ^B « 
languor, an anemone. This ar- 
rangement was not a matter of 
volition on the part of the crab, Js 
In the fi rot l nstnuce; but “ so ae- 
customcd have those marauders W r ' 
become to their living burden, 
that, when they see tit to change ^Bfc~ Vy X 
from one shell to another, they , 
have been known carefully to de¬ 
tach tho anemone and transfer 
him to the roof of t he new domi¬ 
cil,—a tender attention which 
the recipient repays by convey¬ 
ing to the crab an additional sup¬ 
ply of food, throug h the agency of B 
Its currenGproduclng tentacles.'’ 
Passing by young Salmon, Dace, 
Pickerel, Trout and Sunfish, one 
Instinctively pauses before the 
tank containing the magnificent 
Klnglyo, the renowned three-tail¬ 
ed fish from Japan. The develop¬ 
ment ol' this filmy tall has been, 
it is stated, the result of centu¬ 
ries of culture and selection. 
It would require a ream or so 
to merely mention the Gold-fish, fl 
shark-. Eels, Porgles, Lobsters, B 
Dog-fish, Sea-horses, etc., that 
wander about In picturesque pro¬ 
fusion; but the subject of this 
from ear to ear, and with great jaws fringed 
with a rnoss-llke membrane, this brigand con¬ 
ceals his dull, fiat form along the stones ot some 
rock-lined and algaveoverod shore. Even a higher 
Intelligence than that, of the porgy might be par¬ 
doned tor mistaking tho living angler for his rocky 
bod. Protruding from his head are splno-Uko ten¬ 
tacles, mounted in socket-joints and tipped with a 
hit. or fleshy membrane, similar to that which lines 
Its Jaws. Dangling this dainty- looking morsel In 
front of the concealed cavity of Its mouth, the 
angler tempts the small try to approach and nib¬ 
ble. But alas! a sudden withdrawal of the halted 
spine, accompanied with a. ghastly gape of the 
capacious jaws, and down Into the balerul cavern 
are drawn the wonder-seeking or hungry crew.” 
Tho hatching-troughs aro tho most Interesting 
part of this complete establishment. These aro 
long, narrow boxes, through which a, constant 
stream or fresh water Howb. In one trough la a 
myriad host of minute though perfect fish-forms; 
in another, the little fish is still attached to the 
sac upon which tt depends for its early susten¬ 
ance ; while In a third, resting on wire trays, are 
countless globules of quivering Jelly—spawn, we 
call it—from which, in due season, the Imprisoned 
life will emerge and swim away. This depart¬ 
ment, founded at the suggestion of Prof. Baikd, 
is a special feature of the Aquarium. From the 
exhibit here displayed. It appears Nature Is wont, 
at times, to trifle with her own laws, and hence 
merely mention tho other queer fish-forms. One 
fact Is curious and significant. It does not relate 
to a fish, however. Mr. Hamilton, the Press 
Agent, Is a popular and valuable member of the 
management, but, much as tho writer regrets to 
have to say so, ho was, previous to Ids connection 
with the Aquarium, a boa virnrit, whoso knowl¬ 
edge or good wine led him to overestimate his 
capacity. This grieved his friends, and many a 
silent tear wits shed In the deep seclusion of dark 
cabinets. Hut since ho lei' had to do with fish, 
lie rinds that to “drink like a fish " Is to drink 
like a wise man also, and he now coniines himself 
strictly to— well, It. would be Indelicate, perhaps, 
to further allude to a personal matter. Alto¬ 
gether, It would well repay all who can to visit 
the Aquarium. 
CONEY ISLAND, 
Along the southern shore of Long Island, In 
nearly its whole extent separated from the main 
land by bays, channels and tidal creeks, varying 
In width from a few feet to five or bIx miles, He 
long, low, narrow sano banks, formed by the ac- 
11 on or the water and constantly changing their 
formand position. Commencing about thirty-five 
miles westof Montauk Point—the eastern extrem¬ 
ity or the Island—and extending wesuvardly tor 
more tlmnliitiy miles,3s the great South Beach. 
After an half hour’s contest 
with the briny deep, and clothed 
once more in our proper wearing 
habiliments, we aro reminded 
that the Inner man deserves at¬ 
tention, for there is nothing that 
Induces hunger more than a salt 
water bath, clams In all styles 
seem to be the staple diet, at the 
Island, but we find no difficulty 
in making out a bill or fare that 
would do credit to the host me¬ 
tropolitan hotels. 
After dinner we sit on tho 
beach, watching the Incoming 
tide and listening to Its roar. The 
gorgeous colors ot the sunset sky 
are reflected In the water so 
clearly as to make It seem as 
the water Itself was of all the 
colors of the rainbow In the 
distance arc the highlands of 
Naveslnk; and us the shades of 
ovunlng come on, the stars ap- 
pear, and the lamps In the light¬ 
houses on Handy Hook, the .Jer¬ 
sey shore and Staten Island, 
throw their protecting rays far 
abroad. Turning our eyes In¬ 
land, everything seems changed 
